The Secrets we Keep Hidden
by LadyMorganaPendragon
Summary: AU in which it is not Skye but Simmons that the team recruits. But all is not what it seems. What secrets are she hiding? What happened in her past? And why can't she just let go? Rated T to be safe. FitzSimmons.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone. This FanFiction is kind of an idea that I've had floating around and I thought I'd get it down on paper (well, a screen, but still). This is only my second AoS fic, so bear with me for a bit. **

** Updates are likely to be very irregular, maybe daily then a week without, and so on, so don't be too expectant. Also, my spell check is a bit odd, so feel free to point out any errors.**

** Thank you!**

She drained the remains of her cup of coffee without really tasting it, because she knew that she needed the caffeine. Not that it tasted of anything anyway, and she hated coffee, but it was probably vital right now. Sometimes she did this. Being a biochemist and all, she understood that it was not good for her body, but she had done it from an early age and she was used to it.

She was approaching almost two days straight now: two days of solid work and cups of strong black coffee and the occasional sandwich if somebody brought her one and told her to eat it. Truth be told, she was exhausted, but she barely noticed. See, this was what she did. She buried herself in science and ignored the world around her.

The first time she had done this she had been twelve. Her father had flared up and she had been terrified, locking herself in her room and furiously working on a design for a science project she was working on. Science was her refuge, her escape from the world, and so as a girl she had often got completely lost in her projects, ignoring the other children laughing at her scornfully, the teachers who looked at her in concern as she bent herself over the small desk, furiously scribbling away in impossibly neat handwriting.

One would say that she was an odd child. Indeed, she was, but it had not been her fault. With a long dead mother and an abusive father, who could blame her? And so she had always been lost in her work, and that trait carried through to now. She barely felt the hunger that gnawed away at her stomach. It was one man's voice that finally got through to her.

"Hey, Simmons, you aren't looking so hot."

"Why, thank you, kind sir," she muttered under her breath, but clearly a little louder than she had anticipated, because he threw her an irritated look.

"When did you last eat?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," she mumbled quickly.

"When?"

"I- I'm not entirely sure."

He gave her a piercing stare. "Sleep?"

"A couple of days ago?"

He sighed. "You've got to stop doing this, Jemma."

"Doing what?" she asked innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She stood up and began to walk towards the other surface, before her body folded in on itself and she fell in a crumpled heap on the floor.

* * *

><p>"Jemma Simmons," Coulson said, pulling up a holographic image of her face.<p>

Fitz choked on the pretzel he was eating. "Wait...Jemma Simmons. Is she...British?"

"Yup," Coulson said, studying the information beside her face, "Do you know her?"

"_Do I know her? _We were lab partners. Everything parters, at school. She was fantastic. Doing well at everything. I knew she had secrets. Never thought anything of it. Then one day she disappeared. Boom. I looked for everything, small clues, anything, but I didn't find it. Wherever she went, she didn't want to be found."

"Great. You can interrogate her."

"You know what? I'm...not sure that's a good idea," he said nervously.

"Nah, it'll be fine. We know she isn't working for Centipede, but she isn't working for us either. We need to get her on our side. We have reason to believe that she has valuable intel. That's why you'll fit the description. She knows you."

"Jemma was always...delicate. I don't know what she's been through. I don't know how she'll react."

"You're alright. May, Ward, go in there and get her out. Try to avoid seriously injuring her, please. Fitz, Skye, on comms."

"Copy that. Where is she?"

"About a mile from here, in a lab in a deserted warehouse. We don't know who she's working with, so it's best to go in undercover."

May and Ward nodded. "Already going."

* * *

><p>"C'mon, Jemma, this is serious. Eat something."<p>

"I'm...fine," she said nervously, "Not hungry."

Her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Here," he said, as a concerned looking woman brought over a plate of sandwiches. They needed to get the final results in today. They couldn't do it without her, but her stomach churned at the sight of the cheap white bread and artificial meat. "Eat," he said, "This isn't a game."

She closed her eyes. That was exactly what it was, but he wouldn't leave her alone until she ate at least some of it, so she took a couple of bites and pushed the plate away.

"Just let me finish the product, and then I can submit it for final testing, and then I will eat, Sir," she said, "Because I can't focus with a full stomach."

"Finish the sandwich," he said, waving a couple of men over to examine the prototype. "They'll deal with it."

Was there no way out of this?

A young man and woman entered. They looked directly at her, and at each other, and Simmons felt a twinge of unease tug at her stomach. She finished the sandwich, trying hard not to retch it back up. They both put their hands to their ears, and quietly started muttering as though they were talking to somebody through an earpiece.

"Sir," she murmured quietly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he spotted them, "I didn't send for help."

"Our boss sent us," the man said quickly.

Lies.

"I am your boss," he said, jumping up and pulling a gun from who knows where.

"Not any more," said the woman, pulling out another gun and calmly shooting him in the chest. Simmons let out a cry of disbelief and fear as she knelt down beside the man she almost knew as a father and desperately tried to stop the bleeding. She knew that it was too late. The bullet had pierced his heart.

The man came towards her, slowly. "Up against the wall," he ordered the rooms's other inhabitants, "Now."

They did as they were told, leaving her with no protection, stood in the middle of a lab with two guns pointed at her head. He got closer, and she jumped upwards, knocking a test tube to the floor. She wondered what was in there, but didn't have time to look because he swiped at her head. She ducked. Jemma was good at ducking. A lifetime of ducking blows had left her fairly skilled at it, and she darted towards the open window.

It was small, but she was thin and, hearing a gunshot, she launched herself out of it.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell did she go?"<p>

He looked out of the window, but there was nobody fleeing. May shoved him out the way and looked down to see if she was crouched just below. No.

"Wait, there!" she shouted, and fired a shot as the small, slim girl disappeared round the corner of the building. "Go round," she ordered, "I'll take the other side."

Ward nodded. "Copy that." He put a finger to his ear. "Coulson, she's getting away."

"On it," he heard Coulson say. "Get her running in my direction."

May started running to the door, and he followed suit. This was a simple mission: don't let her get away. They could easily catch up; she looked weak and although she had moved quickly, he doubted that she would be able to keep it up for long. She would have to hide somewhere, and with Skye on their side, she wouldn't be too hard to find.

"Skye," he said, "Hack the feeds. Find her."

"Copy that," Skye replied, beginning to type.

"She's heading towards the closest apartment block," Fitz interrupted, "Coulson, get up onto the roof."

* * *

><p>She ran to the apartment block. She knew they could track her every move, but she had a plan. She moved along the wall with a camera, so that they could not see her, and stepped into the lift, undetectable. She stood in the corner as a family of four came in, and gave them a small smile. She gestured towards the panel of buttons and the mother thanked her (she prayed that the lift did not have audio) and pressed button 4.<p>

The lift began to move and although Jemma felt awful about it, she knew that these people would probably not try and harm her in front of others. She exited with the family and headed towards the fire exit. It was out of bounds, she knew, but she was not in a position to care. There was no need for cameras here, and she jumped out into it. It was freezing there, so she huddled underneath the window and closed her eyes.

She was so tired...

* * *

><p>They carried her body in ten minutes later, cold and light. Fitz hurried over.<p>

"She's fine," he concluded, "But we need to get some sugar into her system. She's undernourished and exhausted."

"I can tell," Ward agreed, "What happened to her? Do you remember anything?"

"Jemma didn't have...the best situation at home. Sometimes she would do this. Go a day or so without food or sleep."

"Ok, so what do we do?" Skye asked, coming in.

"Give her a glucose shot, some food, and wait for her to wake up."

And wake up she did, two hours later, her head resting against a cold metal table. She wondered how she'd managed to get here. She was in a bare cell, with a black wall with a pattern of hexagons. This cell must have been made to hold dangerous criminals. Non-human, even. She sat up and stared into two clever blue eyes.

"Hey, Jemma," he grinned.

"Wait a minute... Fitz? _Leo Fitz?"_

_ ** So...**_** I'm not sure how that went. I'll only continue if I feel like people want me to, so please leave a review or follow or whatnot and I'll see if it's actually a good idea.**

** Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, yeah, with three reviews, I thought I'd continue with this fic. Thank you to all the followers and the two favouriters!**

"So, Jemma, can I ask the obvious question? Where the hell did you go? I thought you were dead! You left a _suicide _note. Why? I searched for two years, and all I found was a note. After I asked your father."

She froze, colour draining from her face. "You- you spoke to my father?"

"Yes, Jemma, because that was how hard I searched for you. I was _terrified _for you. I thought your father had done something to you!" He hit his fist against the table, and she flinched. "I _cared _about you! You were my only friend, and you _left _me! Left me alone with all our half finished projects, all our research, everything! You left me, and you didn't think that, just perhaps, dear old Fitz who was too clever for his own good might actually care about where you'd gone! You just walked out without so much as a goodbye!"

Tears welled up in her her eyes, but she said nothing.

"Why?" he asked again, a little softer.

"Fitz, I- I don't know what to say."

"Wow," Skye said, observing them on the large screen, "Even his school friends called him Fitz."

"Slightly beside the point, Skye," Ward said, "What's he even doing? Yeah, this might be personal, but this is a mission. We need that information. I'm going in."

Coulson held him back while Skye eyed him with distaste. "No. This is what Fitz does."

Ward stopped. "You mean he's actually done this before?"

Skye snorted. "No," Coulson said, "But he's getting through to her. Look."

"Nothing's happening."

"Agent Ward," May said, "Have you had much experience with these situations?"

"Yes, I find that it's better to-"

"What Agent May is trying to say is that have you ever seen somebody who you thought was dead has suddenly turned up as a danger to your entire organisation?"

"No," he admitted.

"Then watch and learn."

* * *

><p>"Jemma, I don't want anything to happen to you. But S.H.I.E.L.D. need this information and if you don't give it willingly..." his voice trailed off as he realised what he'd said.<p>

"Are you threatening me?" she asked quietly.

"No- I... I don't want them to hurt you."

"And they will hurt me?"

"I don't know."

"Truth, please."

"I really don't know, Jemma."

He reached out to touch her arm, but she flinched away so suddenly that he jumped and drew his hand back. She took a pale pink circular object, about two centimetres in diameter, and placed it in her mouth.

Fitz realised it was a pill a split second too late, and lunged forwards. "Jemma, no!"

Fear registered on her face and she leapt back, her chair clattering across the floor as she tugged at her cuffed wrist. He stared at her, before standing up.

"Oh, Fitz," she said, "You might as well start calling me Simmons. Everyone else does."

"Time out," he said faintly, and left.

* * *

><p>"She's clever," he said darkly, as Skye handed him a cup of steaming tea. "I mean, I always knew, but I can't work out what's the truth and what isn't. I think they must have done something to her...she isn't the same. Her smile, her eyes, it's all there, but...it isn't."<p>

Skye nodded sympathetically. "It seems like she's been through a lot. She's terrified, look. I don't blame her. Kidnapped, kept in a cell on a plane she can't escape from..." She shuddered.

Coulson touched her arm lightly. "Hey. It'll be fine."

"You've had experience of this?" Fitz asked curiously, and May gave him a glare that made him take a step back. She nodded slowly.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just a cadet. What evil organisation would turn the opportunity down?" she laughed darkly. "They kept me on the plane, until a S.H.I.E.L.D. team busted me out. I was terrified."

"How old were you?"

"Nineteen."

Even Ward was disturbed by her tale. He had been planning to go in and the the girl out of her wits, but he stopped himself. Simmons couldn't be much more than twenty-one. She would be in the same position as Skye. Terrified, tired, hungry...

And not even Ward could do that to a young, defenceless woman.

"Hey, I could go in," Skye offered. "Just reassure her. Maybe she'll let something slip."

"Ok," Coulson agreed.

"Just give her some truth serum," Ward said.

"No!" Fitz cried, shocked.

"No," Skye said. She was already irritated with this member of her new team, and she looked at him with dislike. "You have no idea what it's like."

And with that she exited, heading towards the Cage.

* * *

><p>She had made the pills when she was fourteen. When she had first realised that he wasn't normal. That what he did to her, that wasn't normal. That the pain, that wasn't good for her. Not like he said it was. That he wasn't good for her.<p>

So she made something. Something to stop the pain. Something to protect her from the pain. And for two years, she worked. For two years, she searched for the right formula, spent all her free time in the lab. For two years, Fitz worked tirelessly beside her, without even knowing what he was working towards. And then she did it. She had made it.

The pills created a numbness that spread slowly through the body, neutralising the nerve endings until the user lost all sensation in their body. And if any form of drug or serum was used, the consumer would immediately fall unconscious (useful for when we sell this to MI5, Fitz had said). It was something that she always carried around with her. Always. And she was glad of it. Because whatever they did to her, she was safe.

The feeling was unpleasant; your body was totally numb and you couldn't feel a thing. But it worked. Very well. And Jemma had used it so many times that it wasn't so bad any more. She looked up as the door opened slowly.

"You're not Fitz," she said cautiously.

"I can't believe his school friends called him that."

The figure was revealed to be a pretty young woman. She looked to be in her early twenties, Jemma thought. "Who are you?"

"My name's Skye," the woman said brightly.

Jemma backed away as far as she could, with her hand attached to the table. She knew what "Skye" was trying to do. Make friends, let something sli-

"I was kidnapped once, you know. Put on a plane."

Silence. She would not be drawn in.

"A S.H.I.E.L.D. team busted me out. S.H.I.E.L.D. are the good guys, Jemma. Can I call you that?"

"I prefer Simmons," she answered stiffly.

"Sure," Skye said. "Simmons it is. But we are the good guys. We can help, Miss Simmons."

"No," Jemma whispered, "No, you can't. No one can."

** Poor old Jemma... What did you guys think? I'll continue to update if you want me to!**

** Reviews!**

**agent. music. art.- Thank you for reviewing the new fic! Is it up to standards? I hope you enjoyed! PS- I have absolutely no idea why DocManager won't save your name. Is it ok if I post it like that?**

**babycraycray- You're welcome! Thank you for reviewing!**

**Anna-Rosinha- I'm glad you loved this. Do you think she's too fragile? I'm planning to reveal little secrets as I go, until we get the full picture. Thank you for reviewing!**

** That's all for now! Please please please keep reviewing, it encourages me to write and lets me know that people actually are interested in this. So please do review/follow/favourite!**

** Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here we are again, my lovelies, with a brand new chapter! Enjoy!**

"Nobody is beyond help, Miss Simmons."

"You are clearly unfamiliar with the expression. Believe me, no one can help me, Agent."

"How do you know that?"

"Because," she said softly, "I cannot help myself."

Fitz watched them on the screen. He had an expression of shock on his face. "Oh, Jemma. We can save you."

Skye had tears in her eyes. "No. No, S.H.I.E.L.D. can help you. We can help you."

Jemma shook her head. "I am a broken woman. And that isn't your fault. It's only one man's fault."

"Whose?"

"My- no. No! Please!"

If Skye was surprised by her sudden outburst, she didn't show it. She was Level 7. Professional. "I'm sorry," she said.

"No, you're not."

She laughed. "No, you're right. I'm not."

"I am a biochemist. I have studied the human body."

"Of course you have," Skye said smoothly. "Purely out of interest, how did you know?"

"Your nostrils flare."

"_What?_ You are kidding, right?"

Simmons allowed herself a tight smile and shook her head. Skye burst out laughing.

"All that time, and I never knew... How did you work that out so quickly?"

"Because all my life I have been fascinated by the subject."

"What made you so fascinated? That isn't classified, is it."

She shook her head weakly. "My father."

"He lied to you?"

"Oh, he did worse than that."

"Did he hurt you?"

Jemma sat very still. She didn't say anything. Skye repeated the question. She kept quiet. Nobody could no this. But keeping quiet would only prove Skye's theory. Did she talk?

"He...he..."

"He did, didn't he?"

She shook her head, unable to talk. In one solid movement Skye came forward and pulled up her sleeve. That did it.

Fitz's mouth dropped open.

There were scars and burn marks all the way up her arm.

* * *

><p>"What the hell, Jemma?" Fitz hissed. Never, never had she told him that he'd done that. A few hits, she'd told him. Then some larger beatings. A cut or two, as he got worse. She'd made him swear not to tell anyone. He thought he owed it to her to stay away from this aspect of her life.<p>

Apparently not.

Of course she ran away. Why wouldn't she? He would have killed her. She couldn't allow him to track her; so she killed herself. Metaphorically, obviously. But to completely disappear she needed to erase herself; make sure that nobody questioned her non-existence. She had to let everyone believe she was dead. She had to cease to exist as Jemma Simmons, the cheerful British schoolgirl with no friends, no life of her own. She had to become a new person.

And that was what she had become.

Someone new.

Fitz sat down.

"Coulson," he said shakily, "I think I know something."

* * *

><p>Ward couldn't watch anymore. Skye was getting nowhere. Absolutely nowhere. He knew what to do. Why wouldn't they just let him have the truth serum, go in there and extract the information? Then she would fall asleep, and if she really meant that much to them they could dump her back on the fire escape and it would all have been a dream.<p>

He heard the door open. A chance. He picked up the syringe he had lying on the table. He would have to be quick, but once she had been injected with the serum, Fitz could get in and ask some questions. And then they would know, and she would sleep. Mission accomplished. What could possibly go wrong?

He stormed in, and she jumped. "Listen up," he said coldly. "This is QMB-T16. A powerful truth serum."

"I know what it is," she said, jumping up. Excitement lit up her eyes. "Does it still have the after effect of sleep? I can help you past that, you know. You just use the chemica-"

He planted a hand in the middle of her chest and pushed firmly, but she was smaller and lighter than he expected her to be and she was sent flying backwards into her chair. With a small groan she rubbed her cuffed wrist, which had been jerked back in an awkward fashion. It started to swell.

"I'm sorry," he said sarcastically, "Did that hurt?"

"Oh, not much. I don't think it's broken, just a little spr... You were being sarcastic, weren't you?"

"Afraid so. Now, I guess you know what this does..."

"Oh, yes, it's fascinating! It targets the-"

"Good, I do too. Now, when we're done, you'll sleep."

"No," she said sadly, "No, I'm afraid I can't give you anything."

"You don't have a choice!" he exclaimed, exasperated and coming forward with the syringe. He held it to her arm.

"Oh, one thing..."

"What now?" he growled.

"I hate to ask, but can you remove the handcuffs? It isn't going to be a very comfortable sleeping position..."

Fitz swore as he heard what Simmons said. He was furious with Ward for going in, but now he knew what Jemma's pill was. "Ward!" he shouted hopelessly, "Don't give it to her!"

"You haven't given me any answers yet." Ward replied suspiciously.

"I don't need to," she said brightly as he plunged the needle into her arm, and with a hiss of pain she slumped forwards onto the table.

* * *

><p>Skye burst in. "What the hell did you just do to her?" she yelled.<p>

"I have absolutely no idea."

He moved round to the table, a little shaken. He grabbed her free wrist and checked for a pulse. "She's...asleep. How did she do that?"

Skye moved briskly towards her and lifted her head. "Looks like she took some sort of counter-serum. Jeez, what did you do to her wrist?"

Fitz charged in next. "I know what she took!"

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

Fitz slapped him. "And what were you thinking, going on like that? She must have been terrified!"

"She didn't show it," Ward said, "She was bright and cheerful."

"Why?" Skye asked.

"Of course," Fitz murmured, "Of course. Nobody was asking her questions and she knew that she had taken the Supill."

"What the heck is a Supill?" Ward asked.

"We made it at school together."

"Oh and you didn't think that it might be useful to know that?" Skye cried.

"I didn't think of it."

"Of course you didn't. What does it do?"

"It neutralises the nerve endings, so that the consumer can't feel any pain. And if the consumer is injected with any form of serum, it reverses the effects and sends them into a deep sleep."

"Useful," Skye said, "We could use some of them."

"Exactly," Fitz continued, "And then we planned to sell them to MI5, but right in the midst of our plans she disappeared. So yeah. Taking them with her, I was back to Square One."

"What about the plans?"

"All indecipherable scribbling. I couldn't work it out."

"But she did. She made lots of them."

"Looks like it. We need to lie her down. Get the cuffs o- jeez, what did you do to her wrist?"

"Doesn't matter," Ward said nervously.

"Right," he said. "We'll put her in the spare bunk."

"Are you crazy?" Skye spluttered.

"Probably. But look at her, she's not going to hurt us."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because this is Jemma Simmons. She's not like that."

"Fitz, this is insane! She's a criminal!"

"I'm not so sure," Coulson said, entering slightly more quietly than the others, "I think maybe she's just really messed up."

* * *

><p>Her eyes opened quickly, and she wasn't in the cell any more. She was in a white bed. Was it a dream. No. This was not her bed. She tried the door. Locked, from the outside. Her head fell back against the pillow. She was trapped, and straining her ears she could hear a plane's engine. Still here. And her wrist hurt, badly. She looked at it. Sprained, probably. It was bandaged. She wondered if Fitz had done it.<p>

Fitz would hate her now, she thought groggily.

All that research, all that struggle. In the end they hadn't sold it. She still had it now. And it had been so long, he hadn't recognised it. She'd used that against him. Of course he would hate her for that. She pulled herself up and scrunched herself into a ball in the corner of the bunk, sat against the wall.

And she burst into tears.

** And there we go! I will make the fic more interesting later on, but I need to get a few things out of the way first. **

** Anyone have any ideas? Prompts? Leave a review!**

** Talking of reviews...**

** thetideisrising- Aaw, thank you! To be honest, I am terrified of darker Simmons, so I'm a bit wary of this strange new creation I've made... I'm trying to add more FitzSimmons! Thanks for reviewing! I like your username!**

** Agent. Music. Art.- Do you have any idea why? I'm sorry about how I have to write this, it's really odd...**

** babycraycray- Let's hope so! Haha, I have reached the point where I have actually realised that I am probably evil... Oh well! Any ideas for the fic?**

** Griffenclaw's Princess- ah, you're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying this! Any ideas? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Sooooo... Anyone like to review? Please leave a comment and/or some feedback!**

** Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Whee!**** Ten reviews for three chapters! That's my record! Thank you to everyone!**

A soft knock.

"Jemma? Simmons?"

She curled up tighter. Maybe he wouldn't notice her...?

"Can I come in?"

She shook her head miserably before remembering that he couldn't see her.

"I'm going to come in."

No. She reached out and pressed a button. The lock clicked shut.

"Please let me in."

The tears had drawn to an unsteady halt, but she dreaded to think what her face looked like.

"Jemma, I can ask Skye to hack the door. I mean Simmons. Skye, I can ask Simmons to- no I can't. Just... I can ask Skye to hack it, ok?"

She started to wipe her face on the duvet. Her eyes, her cheeks, gently so as not to irritate the skin.

"Are you even in there?"

No. No, she wasn't. She picked up a piece of paper and the pen that was lying on the shelf and began to start scribbling down plans for her latest design.

"Simmons, I need your help. Not with any questions, or anything like that. I'd like your help in the lab. Can you do that?"

Reluctantly, she reached over and the unlocked the door.

He opened it slowly, and there, in the corner, was she, scribbling away.

"What would you like me to do?" she asked. He offered her his hand and she took it, him helping her up.

"Well," he began, "I'm working on a new model of a gun that doesn't kill but knocks someone out for a few hours. We need some sort of dendrotoxin, but I can't quite get the right formula..."

"Oh, I've just done this!" she cried.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was with- I mean, back there, I was working on the same dendrotoxin, but to be inserted into the body via syringe. Although," she said, thinking back, "I think I may have destroyed the prototype."

"Ouch," Fitz winced.

"But," she continued, "If you use some sort of syringe with a chamber attached, it will be streamlined enough to fly through the air and hit its target, and if we find some way for it to eject the dendrotoxin upon impact..."

"Then Bob's your uncle," Fitz finished with a grin.

Coulson came down the steps at that moment. "Ah," he said, spotting them. "Miss Simmons? I don't think you've met me yet. I'm Agent Coulson."

He extended a hand and she took it with caution. "A pleasure, sir."

"No need to call me that," he said, "Everyone calls me Coulson."

"Um, a pleasure... Coulson."

"Fitz, are you going to the lab or are you giving our guest a tour of the plane?"

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," she laughed nervously.

"Actually, I think I'd like to have a word with you about that. Fitz, are you ok if I have a minute with Miss Simmons?"

"Of course, absolutely fine," he said, giving her a questioning look that clearly asked if she was ok with this arrangement. She gave a slight nod. She shouldn't, but she felt safe with this man. She didn't think he'd hurt her. "I'll be in the lab," he said.

"Perfect. I'll give her the Grand Tour and we can talk as we walk."

He led her up the stairs. "This is your study?" she asked.

"Yes. Have a seat."

She perched awkwardly on the edge of the chair that he gestured towards.

"Miss Simmons, I am offering you a job. Not as an agent, you haven't quite come that far, but as an official consultant. You can live on the plane and help Fitz. You don't have to give us any names or anything about the last people you work for, but any intel. that you don't think is valuable you can give us. We're offering you a front row ticket to the strangest show on Earth, and you'll not get that anywhere else. What do you say?"

Her eyes widened with fright. She could not do this. They'd kill her. But S.H.I.E.L.D. would kill her. She couldn't say yes. She couldn't say no. She couldn't let them hurt Fitz, which undoubtedly they would do to the entire team if she said no - wait until she was off the plane and then strike. Because she would tell them their location. More than anything, she wanted this, but it was selfish. But if she said yes...they would...

Kill her.

So much for a choice.

"Yes," she said. One life for five more. If she could lead them away.

"Excellent," Coulson said. "A tour?"

"I'd like that."

* * *

><p>Fitz looked up as she came in. She was beautiful, he thought, but not like Skye or the picturesque beauties that were on television. She was small and slender, the loose strands of her honey-coloured hair tucked behind her ear. And fragile. Vulnerable. Somebody who needed protecting.<p>

But inside, she was strong.

"Hey," he said.

She smiled at him and came forwards. "Coulson asked me to live on the plane. To be a consultant."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, and over his shoulder she tried hard not to cry.

She had to be strong, now.

Because despite what they might think, they weren't protecting her. She was protecting them.

* * *

><p>They worked for several hours, until Skye came in and told them to get some rest. They'd found a Centipede base, about fours hours away. They were going in, and those two would be on comms.<p>

"First mission," Fitz said, squeezing her hand. "Go and get some sleep."

"Erm," she said.

"Oh! I'll show you to your bunk," Skye offered. "How's your wrist, by the way? Does it hurt?"

"Oh, not much. The Supill's still wearing off."

"Cool," Skye said. "I forgot about that. Do you have any more?"

Jemma shook her head. "But I imagine you have strong painkillers on here? Of course, the pain will be worse for a while because of the lasting sensation of...well, no sensation. For a bit everything will hurt, whenever I touch something. Then that will wear off, but by that time my wrist will be mostly healed anyway."

Skye nodded slowly, a slightly confused smile on her face. "You are very similar to Fitz, you know. This is your bunk."

"Thank you," Jemma said, and went inside, closing the door.

But she didn't lock it, because she felt safe.

And she hated being locked in, anyway.

* * *

><p>"It's not a hard one. We go in. You two, keep us updated on the locations of Centipede scientists and where to go. We plug in the USB. We leave. And with a bit of luck, nothing will go wrong."<p>

"Do we take prisoners, sir?" Skye asked.

"Sure. Try not to kill if possible. They're just following orders. But it would be nice to get some information."

"And when we get back, we get in the air, and I start the hack."

"Easy as pie," Fitz said.

"Great. Let's go."

May was the first out of the door, followed by a still furious Ward. He did not like Simmons. She'd made him look very, very stupid and cruel. And then Coulson invited her onto the team. There was something wrong about her. He was determined to find out what.

They were alone.

"Fitz, what do I do?"

"Right, um... Look at this. These red dots are the Centipede scientists. These blue ones are our team. Coulson, take a next right."

"Copy that."

"Ok, so the nearest computer is on the first floor... You've got two of them heading your way, go right!"

"No! Left!" Simmons shouted, but they trusted Fitz more and anyways they'd already started turning, straight into the path of two more.

"Guys," Coulson said as May took them out, "These aren't Centipede."

Jemma gasped. "No," she said, "No. You need to get out. Now."

"Why?"

"Just do it. These people are a lot worse than Centipede."

"Are they...?"

She nodded, and ran out of the room. "Where are you...? Guys, get out. She knows what she's saying. Repeat: get out of there, now."

He saw the dots moving towards the exit, with two of the scientists. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jemma?"

* * *

><p>She had to get out of there...they would follow her, she was sure of it - they didn't need Fitz. But she'd betrayed them. Well, technically speaking, she had not betrayed them, but she could see how it would look. If she ran, she would protect the others. So she prepared to run, gathering up a couple of vital supplies that she was sure Coulson wouldn't mind if she took.<p>

Someone grabbed her and slammed the butt of his pistol into the side of her head.

She felt dizzy.

Don't fall asleep, Jemma.

She screamed.

** Please don't scream. I'm sorry, guys, I have reached the stage in which I have realised that I am evil and I'm sorry to say that I'm enjoying it. Oops.**

** Reviews!**

**Agent. Music. Art.- It's really weird. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with Ward, but I'm pretty sure I won't make him evil as I took his evilness very personally and I don't think it should have happened. Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna Rosinha (chaps 2 and 3)- Haha, what do you think of Jemma? I think she is a bit too clever in this, but hopefully she won't use it to become evil... Ward is kind of mean to her, I know, but it's kind of because he realised that she's a lot smarter than him and I don't think he'd like that. Thanks for reviewing!**

** beverlie4055- Ha! I'm glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Ooh, I love that idea! Thank you! What do you think of Ward? Is he too mean? I kind of like him mean but still good, it adds a bit of tension to the team and then it comes as a sort of surprise when he's nice... Thanks for reviewing!**

** That's all for the last chapter! Thanks to all the reviewers and please do leave one to brighten up my day! The next update should be tomorrow and there is a very very very small chance that there will be one later, but those of you who read my last fic will know what I'm like with updates '~'**

** Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovelies! I'm back!**

It took a couple of hits for her to fall unconscious, but when she did, she slumped sideways into his arms, a line of blood trickling down her forehead. The boy called her name, but of course there was no answer. He heard footsteps.

_**Take them both.**_

His orders: take the girl. His companion walked in behind him, silent and deadly, and took his place beside the door.

"Jemma?"

He walked in slowly, his eyes fixing on the only two objects he could see: Jemma and the man holding her up. He swore, and was grabbed from behind. A hand clamped down over his mouth and he tried to bite down on it, but the gun he could see in the corner of his vision kept him focused straight ahead and very still.

He looked at Jemma. A little blood was trickling down her forehead, but other than that she seemed unharmed. He wondered how many hits she'd taken. More than one - she'd had enough time to scream. But enough to keep her quiet, obviously. Why would her colleagues do that to her? How had they managed to find her? She hadn't left the 'bus, so she hadn't been seen. He'd scanned her for trackers when she first arrived on the plane, and he knew for certain that she was clean. They hadn't come into contact with anyone who could have leaked their location.

Who even were they?

He didn't have time to wonder, though, because he was jerked back so quickly that his legs gave way beneath him and pulled out of the plane.

* * *

><p>They arrived back in a matter of minutes, dragging the two hostages behind them.<p>

"Fitz?" Coulson called. There wasn't a reply. "Simmons?"

"Hello?" Skye yelled into the plane.

Nothing.

Ward swore. "She used to work for them, right? It's simple. She. Betrayed. Us."

"Or," Skye said, in a falsely bright voice, "Maybe she didn't. Maybe that's what they were banking on, so they took her and Fitz. Maybe she's no more to blame than he is. She was terrified when she realised who these guys were."

"Yeah. Because then we would find out that she was still with them."

"He's got a point," May said.

"Yeah, but that's no reason to think that...wait."

"What?" Coulson asked.

"There are cameras. Fitz put them in while she was still out so that we could monitor her progress and make sure she wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Ok," Coulson said, "Bring up what happened."

Skye started typing and an image appeared on the screen. She fast-forwarded the image until she could see a panicking Simmons, searching and seemingly packing essentials.

"See?" Ward said pointedly. She glared at him.

"Wait, there's someone there. In the corner. Look."

She pointed to a dark figure.

"Oh, dammit," Coulson swore, as the figure leapt forward and grabbed her. They heard a tinny shriek through the poor quality audio that accompanied the camera and she was hard twice, hard. Skye glared at Ward.

"Don't do it, Fitz," Skye muttered as they heard his voice. He walked in and Ward groaned. They watched shock register on his face as he saw her, and then as the other man stepped out behind him and clamped his hand over his mouth. Fitz struggled but the man extended his arm so that there was a gun visible between him and Jemma and he stopped abruptly.

They dragged them away, her limp and lifeless and him struggling violently.

Skye paused the video. "Innocent until proven guilty, Ward," she said, but her usual sarcasm was not behind the words. She bit her lip. He gave her a look which a lesser woman would have buckled under. Coulson stared at the screen and May started to move.

"Can you track them?" she asked Skye.

The hacker nodded. "If they don't know about Simmons' tracker, I should be able to."

She started typing on her laptop, but something stopped her and she banged her hand against the desk in frustration.

"What is it?" Coulson asked, finally breaking out of his stupor.

"They're blocking our signal. This is a trap. We need to get up into the air, but we can't leave those two on the ground..."

"We don't need to," Ward said slowly, "Look."

He pointed out the window. A small aircraft was taking off, and he was betting that they were in there.

"Buckle up," May said.

* * *

><p>She woke up with her head on somebody's lap. Her head hurt. Her brain hurt. She lifted a hand and felt a large lump on the side of her head. Something had matted her hair. Blood, probably. She started to sit up, opening her eyes.<p>

"Oh, thank goodness," Fitz said, "I was getting worried."

"Fitz..."

"I think they knocked you out with the butt of a gun. How do you feel?"

"The Supill's worn off. Terrible. I don't think I'm concussed, though."

"That's good. We're in some sort of cell..."

She stood up suddenly, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over her, and backed up against the wall. "CORPSA. What have I done? Fitz, do they have the others?"

"Not that I know of. Who are CORPSA?"

"Fitz, we have to get out. They'll kill you for sure!"

"You? What about you? Jemma, who are these people?"

"They are CORPSA. They won't kill me, they'll- they'll..."

She started hyperventilating, staring at each wall in turn and pressing herself as far away as possible. She couldn't do this again. The walls were closing in..."

"JEMMA! The walls are not closing in! Snap out of it!"

She tripped over her own feet and cried out, falling into him. Her vision blurred with tears. "Help me, Fitz," she moaned.

"I'm here," he said. "Did you work for these people?"

She nodded. "They'll do it again."

"Do what again?"

She shook her head and sank to the floor. "Help me," she repeated.

The door opened and a large man came in. Fitz silently christened him Closet. Jemma shoved him against the wall and shielded his body with her own. "Don't hurt him," she said.

"I'm not here for him, precious. I'm here for you."

He took her by the arm and led her from the room. Fitz stayed where he had been pushed, paralysed with shock and fear. The door slammed shut and he stayed for a second longer before jerking out of it and running towards the door, screaming, shouting at them, banging his fists against it.

She wrenched herself away from him as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I am more than capable of walking by myself, thank you."

"What? I've got strict orders from the boss to-"

"To bring me in?" she interrupted sweetly, "Oh, of course. He didn't trust you enough to tell you that I was undercover. I'm sorry. What will he say when I tell him you kept me in a cell?"

Realisation dawned on his face and he let her go. She stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance. He examined her face carefully to see if she was telling the truth. Deciding that it was better to be safe, he planted a hand in the middle of her back and firmly guided her towards their destination.

The door swung open. "Miss Simmons? So we meet again. Come in."

"Hello, sir," she said, forcing a smile onto her lips. She walked in slowly.

"Leave us," he ordered the guard, who promptly closed the door and left.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her sideways onto a chair. Her head knocked back against the wall and she let out a small groan.

"S.H.I.E.L.D, Simmons?" he hissed. "Really?"

"I- I had no choice," she stammered, "They took me... I thought that I could get on the inside! You have to understand, they think I'm with them! I can help! Just let us-"

A hand round her throat. He was crushing her windpipe. She couldn't breathe.

"That wasn't why you helped them, was it? You wanted to get away."

"Please," she croaked. "Sir, you have to keep calm. You can't..."

She struggled against him, trying in vain to free herself from his grasp. "I can do as I please."

Her vision started to blur. She tried to gasp in air, but he was pressing too hard. Her head fell to one side and she fought to keep her eyes open. Realising what he was doing, he drew his hand away. She slipped off the chair, falling to her knees.

"I have not betrayed you. I still obey-"

He kicked her in the torso and she flew across the floor, landing painfully on her side. A broken rib or two, probably. She closed her eyes. She knew pain. She welcomed it. This was an old friend.

Fly, Jemma.

She knew how to detach herself from her body. She knew how to distance her mind, to control the pain.

She had had years of practice.

* * *

><p>"The others," he said, "They'll come for us."<p>

"I don't think so," Closet grinned nastily. "Look."

He grabbed Fitz by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the small window. The plane, the 'bus. It was taking off.

"You hijacked our plane!"

Closet raised his phone to his lips. "Footage of the plane," he ordered.

An image of the room he knew all too well appeared, projected onto the wall. He hadn't seen a projector. Coulson walked into the shot, looking very worried. Fitz swore. Skye ran over to him. Fitz could see her lips moving, but no sound. The cell did not have speakers.

"Skye," he whispered, "I'm here."

But she wasn't listening.

* * *

><p>"Coulson!" she said, running over.<p>

"You found something?"

"You know there are heat cameras on the front of this thing, right?"

"Yeah."

"There are two heat signatures in the jet. They're both awake and the sizing suggests that they're both male."

"Wait. You're saying that...?"

"Fitz and Simmons aren't on there," May said, entering.

"They're still on the ground," Ward said.

** Uh oh! What's going to happen?**

** Reviews!**

** Chap. 1:**

** Guest(1)- Oh, thanks! I'll try to keep updating as fast as I can! Thank you for reviewing!**

** Spitfire303- :-D (I hope that sums up what I need to say. Thanks for reviewing!**

** Chap. 2:**

** Guest(2)- Haha, you should create an account! I'll try to update soon! Thank you for reviewing!**

** wolfsongblue- I'm glad you're enjoying this! What do you think of Jemma? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Guest(3)- Yup, I will try and update soon! I'm really glad you're enjoying this! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Chap. 3:**

** An Awkward Girl- Ha, I love bunnies! I'm glad you're enjoying this, I'll try to update pretty soon! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Chap. 4:**

** babycraycray- You're welcome! I'm glad you like him, and thank you for telling me I'm not evil! Thanks for reviewing AGAIN, you're amazing!**

** beverlie4055- Thank you! It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this... Thanks for reviewing again!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Did that answer your question? I like making fluffy things, it's fun... Do you think she's evil now? I hope this chapter was up to your standards! Thanks for reviewing again!**

** Wow, lots of reviews! Sorry if I've already answered your review or if I missed you, there are so many random ones that I got a bit confused. Thank you to everybody who left a review! Please do!**

** Thanks! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry I couldn't update yesterday, guys, my day was packed and I didn't have enough time... Here you go!**

"You betrayed us."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. captured me! I couldn't do anything, but when Coulson offered me a job, I thought it was an opportunity to get on the inside!"

"Who is Coulson?"

"He's...he's the leader. A qualified agent. He made me a consultant."

"The others?" he asked greedily, moving away from her to show that he was not a threat, as though he had not bound her wrists and ankles to the chair so tightly that she could feel them cutting off the blood circulation. He looked almost hungry for information, scanning her face to see if she was lying. She wasn't. "The boy in the cell?"

"Leopold Fitz," she said, forcing as much scorn into her voice as she could, "S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist. Trusted. They'll come looking for him."

She didn't mean for the words to sound like a threat; they simply popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. He slapped her, and she winced at the pain in her ribs. "Are you threatening me?"

"No," she gasped. "No. I'm not. I can tell you more, but..."

"But what?"

"But I'm struggling to breathe, I'm tied to a chair and I can longer feel my hands. My only friend is currently in a cell-"

She shut her mouth as soon as she realised what had slipped from her lips, but it was too late. She was in pain, and she wasn't thinking straight. He stared at her in disbelief.

"Your only friend?"

"We were together at school."

"Why didn't you mention that?"

"Why wouldn't I? He betrayed me to S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't consider him a friend any more."

"You were bargaining for his release."

"No, I-"

"You're lying to me. I've been your friend. The whole of CORPSA has been your friend. Why are you lying to us?"

"No, I was lonely as a child, I-"

"Jemma Simmons, I never took you as a traitor."

He stood up. "Please," she said.

"I'll be back," he warned.

She looked desperately at the closed door, then down at her struggling hands.

* * *

><p>"Do we have any idea where they are? In the labs?"<p>

"No. We would have met them on the way," May said. "There's another building not far off. They're probably in there."

"Ok," Skye said. "What do we do? Undercover?"

"Nah," Ward replied, "They'll recognise us. We go in, grab Fitz, and-"

"And Simmons," Skye interrupted.

"And the girl," he added reluctantly. "And get out."

"All of us?"

"Looks like it," May said, standing by the door. How had she got there so quickly?

They left the bus, knowing they had but minutes to get in before someone noticed the large plane outside the building. An open door handily let them inside and they looked at the long corridor with doors leading down one wall.

"Ok..." Coulson began, "Erm, Skye?"

"Right. We can't open each door, there's probably people in every room who would raise the alarm. We'll be looking for a big door, probably with some sort of keypad, large or numerous locks and possibly a small window so they can see them."

"Like that one?" Ward asked.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, maybe."

Coulson opened the window. "Fitz?"

The inhabitant looked up sharply. "Coulson? Do you know where she is?"

"Who?"

"Jemma. They took her away a while back. I don't know where she is. She wasn't looking so good, though...nasty hit to her head. Bit of blood, horrid lump. She was terrified-"

"Fitz, we don't need a whole background story. Which way did they go?"

"Uh, that way I think. Yeah, that way. No! That way."

"You don't know, do you?" Skye rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean yes, it was this way. Definitely this way."

The entire team heaved a collective sigh. They began in the direction which he pointed.

"Wait! No, it was this way. C'mon."

They wheeled around, and away they went.

* * *

><p>She knew she shouldn't fall asleep. She had hit her head. She was in pain. Sleeping would end it. It was tempting, but she didn't know when he would be back, and she needed to escape. Who knew what they were doing to Fitz.<p>

Oh, no.

Footsteps.

She tried to get circulation back into her cold fingers, squeezing them into fists and releasing them. She took short, shallow breaths, her ribs aching, to minimise pain. To be honest, it didn't really work. But she was good at pretending that things didn't hurt. She was glad of that now. She needed it.

The door opened with a slight creak, and there he was.

"Your 'friends' are in here," he grinned. "Want to see if they'll come in to get you?"

"Fitz will-"

"Oh, your friend? I was hoping I could break it to you more gently, but...we couldn't risk him getting out. I'm sorry. It was relatively painless, if you were worried."

The words hit her like a bullet to the gut. Fitz. Dead.

Fitz was dead.

Fitz.

* * *

><p>"These guys already know we're here. We might as well just go for it. Look everywhere."<p>

"We don't have to," Coulson said grimly.

A pained cry, from one of the rooms.

"That was easy," Ward said. He ran over to the door and wrenched it open, before letting out a low whistle. "Ian Quinn?"

"Agent Ward?" came a faintly surprised voice. "To be honest, the timing on that was perfect. Though I was informed that you would not be arriving until much later."

"You mean, the Ian Quinn?" Skye said.

"Yup. Right here in the flesh."

"Yeah. Shall we get Jemma out?"

"Sure," Ward said, and shot Quinn in the shoulder. He fell down, groaning in pain. Ward moved over to her, sat in a hard-looking chair. He pulled out a knife and sawed at the cords, shocked when they were a lot more strong than he had thought. He got through eventually, as three guns took aim at Quinn's head.

She tugged her wrists away, trying to get the circulation back into her wrists and fingers, as he bent down and began to wildly hack at the ropes surrounding her ankles. She moved and let out a small gasp of pain.

"Did I cut you?" he asked, freeing her first ankle.

"No. I'm fine."

She managed a watery smile and he cut the other leg free, helping her up. She nodded slowly as pain spread though her chest and started to walk, holding it.

"Let's go," Coulson said, but she shook her head and snatched his gun away.

Ward swore as she flicked the safety catch open.

She turned and aimed it at Quinn.

"Release me from CORPSA," she said clearly, fighting to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Skye and Fitz exchanged confused glances. What was she talking about?

He smiled, then, a slow, steady smile filled with pain and infuriating smugness. "No."

"Let me go. Release me. I'll betray you again. And again. Till the day I die."

"Which may be quite soon, I'm afraid. We'll come back for you. You will obey."

The familiar words came back to her and she clenched her fists, remembering a second too late the gun in her trembling hand. The shot went off with a bang and the recoil from the pistol sent waves of dizzying pain through her ribs.

"Release me."

He curled into his stomach, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. were always my rivals, but I did hope they wouldn't become my enemies. Oh dear, Jemma. You have done something wrong. Not even a member of S.H.I.E.L.D, and you've already made an enemy for them."

"Release me," she pleaded. Ward kicked him. It was clear that they would not leave until he did what she asked.

"I release you from CORPSA," he wheezed. "Jemma Simmons, we are enemies now."

She stared at him for a second, before Fitz took her arm and pulled her away.

* * *

><p>She didn't know how they made it back to the bus. She knew that in the end, someone had lifted her up and carried her on because she had stared at the building until she hardly noticed anything else.<p>

She was free now.

It didn't feel like it. She knew that she could talk now, that she could tell them the whole tale. She didn't have to worry. But Quinn would kill so many agents. So many people that she could have protected, if she had stayed put. But she couldn't live with it. Betrayal. Lies. Pain. No trust. She wondered if they would trust her now, now that they knew who she was. She hadn't let them near her yet, knowing they would fuss about her ribs and her sprained wrist that was probably ten times worse now and her head.

Ah, her head.

It throbbed with either pain or thoughts. She couldn't tell which. It was going to explode, and she knew it needed checking. What else did she need? A shower.

Her mind was blank, wonderfully blank, so blank that she felt nothing when Skye took her by the arm and led her to the lab. She hardly even felt her ribs. Vaguely she remembered throwing herself against someone. Or something. How embarrassing.

She hoped it wasn't Fitz.

Hey, he said gently. Can I see your head?

She barely heard him talk, and she wasn't sure if he even had. She gazed at the hazy lab around her, and he examined it closely.

No concussion. Need to get it cleaned up.

She wondered if he'd said it, or she, or if that was just what she knew.

He started to wipe at the blood, and she wondered what was wrong with her.

I think she's in shock, Fitz said.

Ward was looking at her with a certain amount of respect. Why was he looking at her like that?

You saved his life, Fitz whispered.

Had she said that out loud?

"When?"

She was glad that she knew she'd said that, at least.

"You pushed him backwards when someone shot at us. Remember?"

She shook her head blankly.

"I'm going to give you something for the shock," he said clearly.

She nodded, and that was all she remembered.

** Ok, hands up. Who guessed Quinn?**

**Just so you know, in the next chapter she'll be back to normal. I'm really sorry about the late update.**

** Reviews!**

** beverlie4055- Haha, I'm glad you do! Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Yeah, I've never broken any ribs but it sounds really painful! Did I make her too cold? What do you think about Quinn? Did you guess? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Yes, poor both of them! No, Quinn isn't Jemmas father, but I do have a few surprises up my sleeve! Was the rescue alright? What did you think about Quinn? Did you suspect him? As for her father, you'll have to wait and see! Haha! Thanks for reviewing!**

** agentsoffitzsimmons- I'm sorry for upsetting you! I hate cliffhangers too, but it's just so much fun writing them... I totally agree, FitzSimmons for life! Thanks for reviewing!**

** What did you think? Was it up to scratch? Leave a review and tell me what you think! Brownie points to whoever guesses what might happen!**

** Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry I'm so late, guys. Realistically, updates will probably be more like this from now on. Please review!**

"Hey, I found you. Can I come in?"

Coulson looked round the door of the car, and she gestured to the seat next to her. He slid in and shut the door. "Hi."

"Hi," he said, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Not...right. I don't know what Quinn did to me, but I feel very..."

"Messed up?"

"I was going to use a more scientific term, but yes. Messed up. Completely."

"Can you talk now? Now that he's released you?"

"Oh, yes, I believe so. Now that the man who built my life has sworn to be my enemy for all eternity, I imagine it's ok to tell you about his organisation."

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Should I go?"

"No, it's fine. I was about to find Fitz anyway. But I'd prefer it if he...didn't hear it, if that's alright."

"Would you be happier if we talked in here? Away from cameras and the others?"

She gave a small smle. "I'd like that."

"Ok, feel free to start when you want. One question...I hope I'm not intruding, but the scars...?"

She gave a humourless laugh. "About half of them were him. All the burn marks were CORPSA. Some of the cuts, too. But he used to use a belt, and a knife a couple of times, when he was very angry."

"How did he get angry? What did you do?"

"Nothing," she said quietly, "Nothing at all."

* * *

><p><em> I ran away at fifteen, preparing to do my GCSEs. Fitz and I were top of all our classes, of course. But he was getting worse. I created a pill that created numbness of the entire body to stop the pain, and I lied to Fitz that if was a project for a silly competition - make a product to sell to MI5. He didn't go into details; Fitz hates competitions. But he liked the work, so he helped me develop the formula. I went into the science lab at lunchtimes and asked the teachers to borrow their resources. Of course, I was their pet, so I had them wrapped around my little finger and ready to do my my bidding.<em>

_ I created the prototype for it then, and to my surprise and amazement it worked. I used it for a few months, until I realised that if this didn't stop soon my life was in danger. So I ran. I severed everything. I left a suicide note that my father didn't find until six months later. I ran, and spent about two months on the streets. I found a university, said that I was nineteen and asked to see their science department._

_ They offered me a place when they saw what I could do, which of course I accepted gladly, and before I knew it a man named Jasper Leon was offering to take me over to America and give me a job there. Of course, America was as good as it got and so I went._

_ When I got there, they told me about CORPSA._

_ I was terrified. I was no criminal, and I did not want to use my knowledge to kill millions of people. So I refused and asked if I could travel back home. They said no, I couldn't. I didn't have a choice. I had to work for them. But I didn't want to. I wanted to be a good girl, just as I always had been. After a while, they stopped trying to talk me into it._

_ The real "persuasion" began._

She paused for breath, hoping without any real hope that he would tell her that it was fine, she could stop. Of course he didn't, but he was staring at her with an unreadable expression that unnerved her.

"They hurt you?"

"They did worse than that. They got into my head, tricked me, scared me into doing their bidding. I was lost by then. No idea. If you'll excuse me," she said quietly, "I need some water."

"Of course," he replied, realising that this was her way of leaving. "You don't have to continue if you don't...feel up to it."

"Just some water," she said quietly.

"Do you want help?"

"Yes, please." she was grateful for that. Her ribs hurt when she breathed. He helped her up and out of the car, and supported her as they made their way into the lab. Fitz looked up.

"Where were you?" he asked crossly, "I couldn't find you."

She knew he wasn't really angry, of course; he was tired and probably hungry.

"Fitz, you need sleep."

"Says you," he complained, but did not disagree.

"Go and eat something," she whispered, "Go to bed for a bit. Nothing's going to happen here."

She touched his arm gently, and he looked at his watch.

Seventeen hours? He didn't realise he'd been working for so long. He just had to do this...

"Fitz," she said miserably, "Please. I did this...it isn't good. I collapsed. I'm underweight. I starved myself, Fitz, and it wasn't on purpose..."

He started packing away immediately. She blushed as she realised what she'd said, and Coulson pretended not to notice, picking up a bottle of water (labelled H20) and handing it to her. She thanked him and slowly took a sip. Fitz missed the pain on her face, she thought gladly. She didn't like him seeing her so weak.

"Do we have any painkillers on here?" she asked.

"Of course," Coulson said. He took the hint.

"Jemma, I think..."

"Oh, look," she breathed. "Fitz, if we just-"

"Add this to it-"

"And then we can use it to-"

"Stimulate the dendrotoxin..." he finished delightedly.

"It won't take long, will it?"

"Nah. We'll just..."

* * *

><p>Skye walked in three hours later. "Heeeeeey," she said, "Coulson sent me down to check on you. He said you guys were resting?"<p>

"Shhh," and

"Go away," they said at the same time.

"You guys are kinda creeping me out, you know?"

"Nearly there," Fitz said, "One second..."

"Fitz, we just need to test it now."

They turned around at the same time, Skye turning her head and looking at both of them in turn, not sure who to stare at first.

"Can we help you?" Simmons asked smartly.

"Um, yeah... I'm going to go now..."

"Bye," said Fitz automatically, turning around and fitting the dendrotoxin bullet into the pistol.

She left, and they spun around, high-fiving each other. "We just need to test it," Simmons whispered mischievously.

"Who?" he grinned.

"Well I can't, I've cracked a rib."

"I've got to monitor his progress, make adjustments."

"Not May. She's the pilot. Coulson would probably sack you. Skye...or Ward."

"Not Ward. He'll eat us."

"Not if we blame it on Skye. We never got to play any Freshman pranks..."

"And, technically speaking, we're all freshmen."

"It can't do any harm..."

They grinned.

* * *

><p>"Admit it. I. Beat. You."<p>

He groaned. "You do Computer Science. I-"

Ward fell heavily forwards onto the table. Skye screamed. "Coulson!"

He came running. "What happened?"

"I don't know. He just-" she pulled something out of the back of his neck.

"Quiet," Coulson whispered.

A small movement.

Skye leapt forwards, grabbing the bearer of the gun by the scruff of their neck.

"Whoa, Fitz?"

A snigger.

"Simmons? You in there too? What the hell?!"

"Oh, don't worry, Skye, we were just testing our new night-night gun...you can probably stop strangling me now..."

"Fitz, there is no way we are are calling it the night-night gun!"

"Yes, there is! Seriously, Skye, I can't breathe."

She let go of him.

"Would somebody like to tell me what's going on?"

"Certainly," Simmons said. "You see-"

May came in. "I heard screaming. What happened to him?"

"It's a long story," Skye growled, "Which our friends here are going to explain."

"With pleasure. You see, we needed a human subject to test the pistol on and we thought that Ward would be happy to save thousands of lives, but probably it would take a while to persuade him. And of course he'll probably eat us when he wakes up, so Skye should probably go talk to him first, and then we'll explain..."

"You've just shot one of our best agents," May said suspiciously.

"It was Fitz's idea," she quickly intervened.

"Is that true, Fitz?"

"No!"

"Oh come on, you know as well as I do that it was you who suggested we test it on one of us-"

"No, it was you who said that-"

"Guys, shut up. To be honest, I'm not sure who to trust. How do we know that everything you've told us hasn't been a lie?"

The words hit Jemma like a slap to the face. "You don't believe me? Ask him."

They all turned to look at Coulson.

"These scars? CORPSA, most of them. I refused to work for them, and they burnt my skin, sending more and more volts of electricity I to me every time I refused. They played games with my mind, made me think I could escape and then show me that I couldn't, that whatever I did I would have to be for them, because up until recently I was their property, theirs to do whatever they liked with and I could never find the courage to stand up to them or even become their friends because they killed every single person I cared about!"

Silence.

"And my father? Ask Fitz! Ask him about the time when I came into school with a black eye and had to say that I walked into a tree even though we lived in London! Or the time when I had an entire week off school and then claimed to have had a cycling accident even though my father never bought me a bike. The time when a cut opened and blood stained the sleeve of my only school shirt, so I had to put up with bullying for six days until I could afford the dry cleaning bills. Oh, what about the fact that you had and extra bed under yours for when I needed to camp at your house for a while? I can't even trust myself, with a father like that-"

Suddenly, she realised how much her ribs were hurting and that everybody was staring at her and that Fitz had started shouting and that her ribs were really hurting and that she was stumbling backwards and trying to breathe but she couldn't because her ribs were hurting and that her vision was all blurry and that her ribs were hurting and that she was falling and that somebody was catching her and

_boy, did that make her ribs hurt._

**Heheh...sorry about that. Not a very eventful chapter if you think about action and adventure, but quite progressive on the subject of emotions. I should get a new chapter up by Sunday, if you're interested.**

** Next chapter should be focusing on Simmons' mischievous side and probably on Ward's irritation with this 'coz he's funny when he's annoyed with them.**

** Reviews!**

**Guest- Sure, I can try SkyeWard if you like. I've written a fic about them in the past, if you want to check that one out. I put a subtle little bit in there when they shot him ;P Thanks for reviewing!**

** beverlie4055- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Hmmmmmmm...interesting... What will happen next? Do you think Quinn survived? Hah! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've always hated Quinn, he's really creepy and the first season one episode I watched was the one where he shot Skye, so he just freaks me out. I wander if he'll come back for series two? I can make May be nice, if you like. I think right now May doesn't really trust her, but maybe she will do something to make her change her mind. Hmmmmmmm... Thanks for reviewing!**

** That's all for now. Thank you to all the reviewers/followers/favouriters! Please leave me some feedback or a prompt or a question!**

** Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**New chapter! Enjoy, read and review!**

She was in his arms, excruciating pain running through her, but she hardly noticed, because she had just revealed more to these people than she had to anyone and she didn't think it would improve her personal image. Fitz was shouting and she didn't think he'd noticed that she was awake and looking up at him worriedly.

"Go and get the strongest painkillers we have," he ordered.

Skye nodded and made her way towards the medical cabinet that they kept the tablets in.

"Fitz, I'm sorry," she said.

He jumped. "Why are you sorry? Come on, you need to lie down. Can you walk?"

"Of course," she said, and he gently stood her up.

She looked at Coulson, who stood frozen in shock. "Who did they kill?" he whispered.

"Any of the soldiers, any scientists, any other prisoners, anyo-"

Fitz tugged her away and she sent him an apologetic look before obediently lying down in her bunk.

"You should probably lie Ward down," she smirked, "Or he'll eat us even more."

"Excellent idea, Simmons. Why didn't I think of that?"

He moved over to the sleeping form of Ward and tried to heave him up, but much to the amusement of the team, he was too weak to carry him and ended up sprawled across the floor with Ward on top of him. Simmons reminded herself not to laugh, but her face broke out into a grin.

Skye came over with some painkillers. "Strongest I could find," she said doubtfully. "They ok?"

"Yes, apart from the fact that they are for indigestion and contain a sedative."

She looked at them more closely. "Ah."

Coulson snorted.

"Can somebody please help me?" Fitz asked. Skye spun around.

"What the hell?" she giggled. "You do realise how wrong that looks, right?"

"Yes," Fitz spat. "Help me! This guy is heavier than he looks!"

Skye heaved Ward off him. "I see what you mean," she said, dragging him over to the bed.

"Shh," Fitz whispered, catching a glance at Jemma's bunk. She was sound asleep.

* * *

><p>He sat bolt upright. "What the-?"<p>

"Hello, glad to see you're awake. How do you feel?"

That infuriating biochemist, or whatever she was, was sat typing.

"What happened...? My head."

"Ah, yes. I'm trying to add a painkiller to the formula to stop the headache. You see, it's a very interesting question to pose, really: all sedatives seem to give whoever it is used on headaches. At least, all sedatives used in the field. Whereas-"

"I really don't care. Could someone just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Ah, yes. Erm, you just took part in an experiment that could save hundreds of lives. We thought that you would be willing to do that without even the proper consent, so..."

"That is completely against protocol! What- who- where did you even get the idea? Where is everyone?!"

"They decided that, given your history, it would be safer if I came down alone because May didn't think you'd harm an injured young woman. Which," she added nervously, "I wasn't supposed to tell you."

"You...what? I'm going up there!"

"No, you're not. I need to take blood samples, analyse your-"

He jumped up, slowly and deliberately making his way to the door.

It was locked from the outside.

He made a noise in the back of his throat.

"Did you just growl at me?" she smiled.

"No," he said quickly. "You locked me in!"

"Actually, I think that was Fitz. He's a bit scared of you, you know. Which I wasn't supposed to say either," she winced. "And you did! You growled!"

"Let me out," he said, in a voice that he imagined was very intimidating.

She suppressed a snigger. "Please don't make me laugh. My ribs hurt enough already. If you'll excuse me."

She pushed a needle into his arm and he yelped. When she had extracted the blood, she withdrew the needle and looked at him in feigned shock.

"I'm ever so sorry," she asked sweetly, "Did that hurt?"

"No," he said, "Of course not."

"Of course not," she said absently, putting the sample under the microscope and, with a grunt of pain, bending over and examining it. "All normal. How is your head?"

"Feels like it's been split in two," he muttered.

"Good, good, ok...yes, I'll let you go if you swear not to punch anyone."

"Where did that one come from?"

"He's getting angry..." she whispered.

"Are you on comms. with someone?"

"No! Erm, I mean, no, of course not, what gave you that idea?"

She opened the door and heard voices in her ear - well, one voice, to be precise - yelling no.

"Oops," she said, "Sorry."

He stormed out and up the stairs. She heard shouting.

"Oh, dear Fitz," she murmured, "Rest in peace."

* * *

><p>Fitz was nursing a bruised arm. "You should have sedated him," he muttered, for the seventh time.<p>

"Oh, Fitz, he threw a coaster at you."

"Hard! Look, my arm's purple! For someone who's supposed to be my friend, you are not sympathetic."

"If you say so," she sighed.

"Do not laugh at me!"

"Fitz, I am in no position to laugh right now."

"Right. Uh, sorry."

"It's fine. I'm going for a break."

"Ok, I think I need sleep too."

"Which I've been trying to tell you for the past four hours."

"Oh. Yeah."

Both of them got up, packed their things away and left. To her surprise, Jemma found herself back in the car. She sat there for goodness knows how long, tidying her thoughts and arranging them in neat little piles, tying up all the loose ends until she felt calm and relaxed. Somebody knocked on the door. Coulson again.

"Can I come in?"

"So much for a secret space," she grumbled, opening the door. It wasn't Coulson. It was Skye.

"You know," the hacker said softly, "I used to think I had the whole family thing bad. I have a really weird history. But then I figured that my parents can be whoever they want to be. You... I don't know."

"How much do you know about your past, Skye?" she asked curiously.

"I know that I'm an 084. I know that a whole village died trying to protect my secret, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about me right from the start. Do you know anything?"

She shook her head slowly. "What's an 084?" she asked, changing the subject.

She could never tell Skye what she knew.

* * *

><p>May liked driving the plane. She enjoyed the solitude. She was thinking about the girl, right now. The girl who had seemingly popped up from nowhere, become part of the team. The girl who had been so delicate and fragile, but who seemed to have a humorous side as well. That side had popped up from nowhere, too.<p>

Was Jemma Simmons too good to be true?

She believed that she had been through bad times, just like herself. Maybe even worse. But what if CORPSA were still controlling her? What if the whole incident had been staged? She fought to keep a shudder from running down her spine.

What if S.H.I.E.L.D. had had a mole with them for the whole time?

** Dun dun dun! Is Jemma evil? You'll have to wait and see! An update today, as promised...I'm not sure about next time.**

** Next chapter will take place when she's healed and able to function properly.**

** Reviews!**

** beverlie4055- I can't say how much it means to me that you like this story. What do you think about Jemma? Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Yes, haha it was fun writing about him getting shot. I would have done Skye but Ward is so funny when he's angry..what do you think will happen now? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Brook-Lucas-Fan-23- I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'll try to update ASAP! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Yes, I did smile all the time when I was writing it! In my opinion, FitzSimmons don't play enough pranks on the team. I will try and make May start to trust her, I think I need a big event to trigger it, though, because as you can see she has her suspicions... You were right, he will be back. I have a couple of surprises planned out... Haha, thanks for reviewing!**

** Spitfire303- Yeah, I'll definitely try and put a bit of SkyeWard in because that's what people seem to want. I'm not sure I'll make the FitzSimmons too heavy as I don't think the characters would actually want to be that heavy, though... Thanks for reviewing!**

** TheLittleRoguex- Did you actually like the summary? Wow! I'm awful at summaries! I'm glad you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing!**

** That's all for now. If you can guess what Simmons knows about Skye then I'll dedicate a whole chapter to you!**

** Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! Just a reminder, this is a little while later, when her ribs are healed. Please read, enjoy and review!**

Water. Why water? It didn't make sense. They were in a cave, the source of the 084. A cave that was filled with water. This was not normal water, they were certain. But was the water affecting the 084 or was the 084 affecting the water? They had tried to put a boat on it, but it had sank, as though it had a hole in it. Only more quickly. And without the hole. Without the water rushing in on all sides.

"Fitz, can you scan the water for the 084?" Coulson asked through his earpiece.

"Already on it," he heard Fitz say.

He was in the cave with Simmons and Skye. Simmons was there for convenience, so she could identify the object. This was her first proper field operation. Skye was there because it was useful to have a specialist and May and Ward were trying to stall the threat of the rebels closing in.

"Ok," they heard Fitz say, "It looks like the...thing...is using some alien force to strengthen the gravity in the water. Don't jump in, whatever you do."

"Oh, and there was me just about to do that," Skye said sarcastically.

"It looks quite easy to disable, Simmons, you could probably do it no problem and I'd do it in about thirty seconds but we don't have the resources to get down there. We'd need oxygen tanks, suits to keep the cold out..."

"How long would it take for me to do it?" Simmons asked.

"No, you are not even considering that!" Fitz shouted. "There is no way you are going in. No way. You'd have to get in the perfect position or you'd be stuck on the floor with no means of getting back up, and you wouldn't have enough oxygen to-"

"Guys, the rebels are getting closer," Ward interjected through their earpieces. "I don't know how long we have."

"Copy that," Coulson said.

"And for the average person with no technical knowledge it would take about two minutes, but underwater maybe a half a minute longer? Three minutes without oxygen and you sustain permanent brain damage, and you'd still have to swim back up. You cannot seriously be suggesting that you go in, Jemma."

"Fitz, I think I established a long time ago that I have good lungs. I can hold my breath. I'm a good swimmer."

She started towards the edge, but Coulson grabbed both her arms and twisted them behind her back, effectively stopping her from going anywhere. "I agree," he said, "You're not even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I'm not letting you in there."

Skye was doing the math, she could see, and she struggled against his vice-like grip. "Skye, no!" she shouted.

Coulson let go of her at once and they both ran towards the edge. "Skye!" he yelled as she took a deep breath and dived into the water.

* * *

><p>He caught her jacket as she fell, watching breathlessly as Skye dived straight over and she screamed as she heard a ripping noise. Her entire body weight was supported by this flimsy jacket that Fitz had forced her into before she left, and it was tearing. She could feel the downward force from here, tugging her down to the water, and for once she was glad that she was so skinny as Coulson hoisted her up and over the edge.<p>

"Who just dived in?!" they heard Fitz shout.

"What the hell is going on?" Ward hissed.

"Skye dived in," Coulson explained. "How close are the-"

Ward swore. "I'm coming in."

"Ward, no..."

"Sir, could you...?" she gestured helplessly towards her clothes, which he promptly let go of.

She dived in after Skye, and the last thing she heard before she went under was a lot of voices screaming in her ear.

* * *

><p>Skye fiddled with the machine, but she had no idea what to do. Did she open it up? Did she search for a fuse? She realised that she was running out of oxygen, fast. And then a pair of hands were grabbing her, pushing her away. She struggled, but the downwards force of the water seemed to hrow stronger by the second.<p>

Through the hazy water, she could see Simmons, her face screwed up with cold or concentration. She relaxed.

She closed her eyes. She couldn't breathe. There was too much water, and she tried to breathe.

Big mistake.

* * *

><p>There was a switch. Not very hard, Skye, she thought, as the force lifted. She picked up the machine. It was heavier than she expected it to be. Then she turned her attention to the girl beside her, thrashing wildly towards the surface. Jemma doubted that she'd make it. She kicked off the ground, hard. Her lungs were beginning to complain. She grunted unintentionally and grabbed Skye's shirt, wildly gripping and tugging both the girl and the 084 to the surface.<p>

She didn't know how she got to the surface, but she broke it, gasping for air, tugging Skye, who appeared to have fallen unconscious, up as well. Coulson lay over the edge, extending his hands.

"Get her up to the side!" she shouted frantically. He grabbed her, and Jemma went under, pushing upwards with all her might (which, honestly, was not much). She then passed up the large metal block and tried to get out herself, before flopping down halfway, quivering.

"I'm not getting a heartbeat!"

She leapt into action, jumping up and kneeling beside her friend. She began the rescusitation process, pumping, pumping, pumping, trying to get air into her lungs. Skye coughed weakly.

* * *

><p>She remembered vaguely trying to swim to the surface. The next thing she knew, she was on her side, vomiting up water and grime and goodness knows what else, emptying her lungs with Coulson holding back her hair - a pointless manoeuvre, she thought - and Simmons knelt beside her, lying her on her side.<p>

Had Simmons just saved her life? She was pluckier than she thought.

Ward ran over, then.

"Hey. I swear you were outside?"

"Yeah," he said, and to her his voice was distant. "Yeah, but I just almost killed myself running in because I heard you were dead."

Simmons denied that hotly. "We said she had dived in! We knew she had it under control!"

"Is that why you ended up coming in after me, disabling the 084 and dragging both of us up to the surface.

A blush, perhaps, would have spread over her face had she not been so cold. Her teeth chattered.

"You did that?" Ward asked, impressed, before shouting, "FITZ, FOR GOODNESS' SAKE SHUT UP! THEY ARE BOTH FINE!"

"Oh," said Fitz, a little put out, "Well thanks for letting me know."

"Ward, grab the 084. I'll help Skye. May, your location?"

"Heading back to the 'bus. Rebels are closing in. I'd say you have five minutes."

"We'll have to move fast. Simmons, can you walk?"

She nodded. "I'll help with Skye."

"Hey, I'm good!" Skye protested, as she coughed up a little more water. They grabbed her arms and pulled her up.

* * *

><p>"What the hell, Jemma? You could have been killed!"<p>

"So could Skye. There's no problem! The 084 has been disabled and we're taking it to the Sandbox. If you'll excuse me," she said smartly, "I'm going to shower."

She headed out, and Fitz shouted something indecipherable after her before turning to look at the weak, very wet girl sat on the table beside him. "Move away from the night-night gun!" he nearly shouted. She glared at him and shifted over a little.

"You're so possessive, Fitz."

"Oh, I am, am I? Well you just- you- get those clothes off and get into the shower!"

"Yes, sir," she grumbled.

"You want hypothermia? Pneumonia? Be my guest!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going."

She dragged herself up and Fitz, irritated, started cleaning up his (not so) pristine workspace.

Jemma came in wordlessly and started helping him. "Fitz," she started, but he held up a hand to stop her.

They worked in silence, and when they were done Fitz slowly slid down against one of the cabinets to the floor. She sank down beside him.

"I was terrified, Jemma," he whispered, tears slightly blurring his vision, "You could have died."

"But I didn't," she said, allowing herself a soft smile. "And Skye didn't either. We're safe."

"You were lucky. What if you- if you had-"

"Fitz, you wouldn't let that happen!"

"I couldn't help you. Blimey, you're cold."

"Am I?"

"Yes. Come here," he ordered, wrapping his arm around her. She moved a little closer.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head against his shoulder. He was warm and steady and solid, always there, always protecting her. A soft grey blanket spread over her mind, and for the first time in a while, she slept peacefully.

* * *

><p>He didn't think he would ever forget the sight of her like that, her eyes closed, her face soft and sweet and vulnerable. Her fingers gently curled around his shirt sleeve, her hair, still slightly damp from the shower, falling in light chestnut waves around her narrow shoulders.<p>

She felt a bit warmer.

Fitz smiled.

He rested his head on hers.

Then he, too, fell asleep.

** Aaw, they fell asleep together...**

** Anyone who'd like to review, please feel free to. You can have virtual cookies!**

** Review replies are:**

** babycraycray- Ha, you make my day every time you review! No, I could never turn Jemma evil, she's too nice... I'm glad you're curious! Curiousity makes more people review and follow! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Brook-Lucas-Fan-23****- I'm glad you liked it! What do you think will happen next? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Haha, poor Fitz, yes! I do like writing little bits of fluffiness sometimes, it's always fun. Let's hope she doesn't do something she'll reget...(mwahaha) Thanks for reviewing!**

** Spitfire303- Yes! I agree! I really liked writing that scene, she always makes me laugh in the series when she starts talking about something and then remembers that she's not supposed to say that. Thanks for reviewing!**

** beverlie4055- Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like this. Thanks for reviewing!**

** NN010- Wow. The next chapter will be dedicated to you. Thanks for reviewing! Can you guess who he is?**

** That's all. Well done NN010 for guessing about two thirds of what Simmons knows! Sorry it took me so long to update.**

** Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yay!**** I'm back! Enjoy! Review! Follow! Favourite! PM! Do something to make me happy! It's a new chapter! And by the way, it's dedicated to NN010! Nice and fluffy for everyone!**

Coulson was getting a little worried. They weren't showing up on any of the cameras. They could be in the lab, he supposed, but he would see them. He went to look.

He nearly called out, but stopped when he saw them. They were both asleep, hidden from the camera's view. They looked so peaceful, just lying there, her resting on him, him resting on her, both of them seeming to exist for the other.

Just to be sure, he checked her pulse, because the water had been cold and she was exhausted and he didn't want her to have Hypothermia or anything. She was fine, and for good measure he checked Fitz's too. Also fine. He breathed a sigh of relief, wondered if he should wake the because, technically speaking, this was against protocol, but decided against it and left them to sleep.

As it happened, his soft footprints woke Jemma, who was a light sleeper.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked around without moving her head, because she had a feeling that he was asleep on top of it. She felt warm and safe in his arms, her back against the hard metal cupboard, her legs twisted awkwardly underneath her, her head pressed against something with a sharp corner. However, she was comfortable, and she snuggled closer to him. He let out a soft sigh, but did not wake.

She closed her eyes again, thinking dreamily what would happen if somebody saw them.

If somebody saw them.

"Fitz," she said.

"What?" he mumbled drowsily.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

"What? Oh, for the love of- what the- where am I?"

She laughed softly. "We need to get up."

"Do we?"

"Yes! Will you think? What if somebody sees us?"

"I'm comfy," he moaned.

"Me too. Get up."

He did as he was told, dragging himself up. She did the same.

"We should look at the blueprints for the smaller version of the nigh-night."

"We should," he said thoughtfully. "I'm cold. You made me cold."

"Sorry," she said. "Come on."

* * *

><p>They were engrossed in a training session, the likes of which Coulson had never seen before. For example they were throwing knives at targets, blindfolded, with the other one holding them upside down. And Skye was firing a gun while doing a handstand.<p>

Ward was trying to shoot a target with his feet.

"Guys," he said loudly.

Skye jumped, but Ward was listening to loud music and didn't hear.

"I'm not waving a hand in front of his face," Skye said.

Coulson solved the problem by throwing a chip from a target at Ward's head.

"Hey," Ward said.

"I need Skye," Coulson said, "To tell me why she jumped in there with no technical knowledge whatsoever."

"Actually, that's a good question. What the hell, Skye?"

"Well excuse me for trying to save your lives."

"A little melodramatic, Skye," Ward stated. "Considering the fact that our lives weren't really in danger and that Simmons had to swim down and save your backside anyway."

"And there was an off switch," Fitz, upon entering, added unhelpfully.

"So in fact it would have been easier to just let me do it," Jemma said, with a pointed look at Coulson.

May joined in. "And then she wouldn't have nearly died as well."

"Why are we all in the cargo hold where my entire team is bullying me?" Skye asked.

"I don't know, but I need to check your vitals, so we could do it in the lab," Jemma suggested.

"Good idea," Coulson said.

"I'm going for a drink," Ward groaned. He did not like the team in this mood.

May walked off without a word.

"Well that was_ rude," _ Fitz shouted.

"Ouch!" Skye yelped as Simmons stuck an IV drip into her arm.

"Sorry," she said unapologetically.

"Got to take a call." Coulson excused himself.

"Fitz," Jemma ordered, "Tie her up."

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, saluting her.

"What are you doing?" Skye cried in despair.

"You always pull them out before they're done, and I can't be bothered to stay with you, so we're stopping you from going anywhere," Fitz explained.

"Guys, you can't just-"

Jemma giggled as Fitz finished the knots with a flourish and both of them exited the lab.

* * *

><p>"FitzSimmons!" Coulson yelled.<p>

"Yes?" they said innocently.

"Why is Skye tied to chair?"

"Oh, that," Fitz said airily while Simmons said, "Ward did it."

"Get down there and let her out," he said, not sure whether to be amused or irritated.

"Yes, sir!" Fitz shouted.

"What's up with him?"

"He's trying to be Ward for the day," she sighed, by way of explanation.

* * *

><p>He twisted his hands nervously as he came up to her, unsure how to start or continue this conversation and embarrassed by the fact that they had such an odd impression of him that she had dared Fitz to impersonate him.<p>

"Did you need something?" she asked, without looking up.

"Er, yes, I- I- yes."

"Can I help you with that?"

"Yes, probably," he said awkwardly.

"Well, what is it, then?"

"Skye," he blurted out.

A look of surprise crossed over her face. "Oh. Um, ok."

"I mean, I wanted to thank you...to say thank you...for, um, saving Skye. So yeah."

"Yes, you're welcome, I suppose."

"Erm, ok. Thanks."

He walked out his face flaming, and just before he was out of earshot he heard a snort that sounded a lot like Fitz.

"Dammit," he said.

* * *

><p>"Skye..." Fitz said, sidling up to her.<p>

"What are you after?" she didn't look up, but she was typing furiously on her laptop, fingers skipping over the keys. He wondered how she did it.

"We're you aware that Ward has a crush on you?"

Skye stopped typing and spat out the water she was drinking.

"Excuse me?"

"Ward literally just went up to Jemma and thanked her for saving you."

"And that means that he likes me because...?"

"He was bright red."

"Fitz, I'm his other half and he's mine! He was red because he isn't quite ready to accept Simmons and that's embarrassing for him because he doesn't like to be indebted to people he doesn't really like!"

"Right," Fitz said disbelievingly.

"Shut up!" she cried, a slow blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Hey," he said, "I'm not talking."

* * *

><p><em> There was a knock, and a head popped up through the window. The bruising hadn't quite faded away. Her hair was tied in an unbrushed ponytail. She was clutching a night-bag.<em>

_ "Jemma!" he hissed. "You can't just do that! Privacy!"_

_ One look at her distraught face softened him though, and he let her in. _

_ "Thanks, Fitz," she smiled softly._

_ He dragged out the mattress, and she lay down gratefully._

_ She fell asleep within minutes, but he stayed awake for some time, looking at her sleeping face and the slanting column of moonlight that illuminated it. Then he saw the bullethole._

_ All of a sudden, she jerked awake, her breath rattling in her lungs, blood gushing from the wound, her young teenage face scrunched up in pain._

_ "Help," she cried desperately._

_ He jumped up and held her still, trying to stop the blood flow but failing miserably, and she was dying in his arms but all he could do was hold her._

Fitz jerked awake in bed, lying back down when he saw where he was. Jemma. Jemma was safe. He was safe. Everyone was safe.

He remembered the night well. Minus the blood, of course.

He fell asleep again and dreamed of the day they finished the Supill.

He smiled in his sleep.

**Bit of a short chapter, sorry, but I'm in bed with something similar to the flu so I thought I'd get something up...**

** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, I'm happy to say that I am now on my review record!**

** Replies are:**

** beverlie4055- I'm glad you liked it! Do you think I should create my own episodes or follow the Marvel ones in future chapters? Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Hehe, thank you! You can have virtual cookies for being such an awesome reviewer! What do you think, episodes or own plotlines? Thanks for reviewing!**

** NN010- You were (sort of) right on no. 2, but it is a little more specific than that and I wouldn't call him a friend, exactly... Episodes or own plotlines? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- I love writing FitzSimmons together! They're so cute! Hmmmm, you'll have to wait and see on that one... What do you think, episodes or my own plotlines! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Spitfire303- Yaay, cookie! {|_| have a cup of tea! Thanks for reviewing, you have equalled my record with my first SHIELD fic! What do you think about the episodes/plotlines?**

** That's all? Any ideas on the question I just asked all of my reviewers?**

** Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So**** a lot of people asked for FZZT in their reviews, so I thought I'd do that one in a few chapters' time. I'm taking a bit of a risk with this chapter: I'm attempting to do "The Girl in the Flower Dress" so feedback is definitely appreciated. For those of you who are going to skip through this because you know what happens, this is really quite different to the actual episode. Here we go...**

She woke up tangled in bedsheets that were not her own, her hair tangled, missing the loose clothing she normally slept in.

Her first thought, of course, was to wonder where the hell she was.

Her second was to wonder how the hell she got there.

And then May burst in.

* * *

><p>"Can somebody please tell me what's going on?"<p>

"You want to hear it from our point of view? Fine," Fitz spat, "We touch down for a few days, you find one of your CORPSA boyfriends and boom. The next thing we know you're in his bed after having slept with him! I really thought we could trust you, Jemma! I thought that you were our friend! And now it turns out that you've been betraying us to them the whole time! How many lies have you told me now, hm? How long have you been in contact with them?"

"Fitz, stop! I'm not in contact with them! I didn't sleep with anyone!"

"Hands," Ward growled.

"Well of course you'd say that, wouldn't you! _I'm your best friend, Fitz, ooh, they hurt me all the time, Fitz, ooh, watch while I betray you Fitz, oh yes, Fitz I'm just going to pretend that I'm a damsel in distress and-"_

"Fitz! Please! Listen to me!"

Skye was surveying her with a good measure of disgust and Coulson looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

"Just tell us who it was," Ward said, yanking her up by the cuffs locked around her wrists.

"I don't know what's going on! One minute I'm working in the lab, the next I'm in a strange bed with a splitting headache and a truckload of questions!"

"He probably got her drunk," May muttered.

"I think I would know! Test my breath, my blood, whatever you like. I'm clean."

"Not that you would remember anyway," Ward murmured.

"I would remember! Trust me, I would remember."

"Save it," Fitz hissed angrily as Ward led her away.

* * *

><p>She put her head in her hands.<p>

What if she had got drunk?

She might not remember and it would explain the headache and lack of memory.

She had no friends at CORPSA.

That was a lie. She was respected. People liked her.

Besides, they had their orders too.

She hadn't left the 'bus, because she was in the lab.

She'd gone for a walk to clear her head.

Jemma didn't remember coming back.

She didn't remember meeting anyone, going anywhere near a bar.

It was all dead ends.

And if she had? What then? Who was it?

She'd never felt 'that way' for anyone at CORPSA. She had known, of course, that quite a few of them were like her - broken. But there had only ever been one man, really. And he was not CORPSA.

Jemma knew that she would never betray him like that; she was loyal to him more than to anyone else.

He was blind to it, of course.

* * *

><p>"It doesn't make sense," Fitz said over and over again. "There's alcohol in her blood, but not enough to make her lose her memory. Not even enough to make her so drunk she would sleep with someone."<p>

"You mean you actually believed her?" Ward asked.

"Oh. I didn't think of that," Fitz said, crestfallen.

"It's simple, Fitz. She. Betrayed. Us."

"That's what you said last time," Skye pointed out. "Look what happened then."

"You guys just can't see the truth when it's staring you in the face," said Ward angrily, and he strode out.

"I can't believe she'd do that," Skye said quietly.

"Me neither. She's saved your life, Ward's..."

"She says we saved her, too. She was grateful."

"And she always was a terrible liar."

Skye cleared her throat.

"Before...all this."

"So you think that she's innocent? She's been framed?"

Fitz nodded slowly. "I think so. I don't think she has any evil in her."

"It's not evil though, is it?" They both jumped, not having heard May enter behind their backs. "It's foolishness. Stupidity."

"Jemma isn't stupid," Fitz said.

"I agree. There is, of course, the possibility that she was taken against her will and r-"

"Don't even say it," Fitz cut in, "There is no way."

"But it would make sense," Skye interjected, "They threatened her, told her not to talk..."

"CORPSA and S.H.I.E.L.D. are sworn enemies. If any of their employees saw Jemma - and I'm sure that Quinn has probably shown them all her face - they would kill her. Unless they really loved her, in which case they would keep her secret."

"But..."

"Even if he did...you know...he would probably hand her over to them anyway."

"So," Coulson said, again making Fitz and Skye jump, "The only explanation is that she betrayed us."

Fitz sat down heavily. "She can't have," he said weakly, "But she can't not have, either."

* * *

><p>She looked up hopefully. "Ward?"<p>

"You seriously don't know? You want me to spell it out?"

She doesn't reply, but looks at him with a pained expression.

"Here you go, then. We went out for a drink and a poke around, because there's and unregistered Gifted in the area. You and Fitz stayed in the lab to run tests and surveillance on the town. Fitz says you went out to get some fresh air; you were feeling a little dizzy. He stayed behind for a few minutes to check something out, and found someone with a nasty criminal record - he was reported to have worked with an organisation similar to CORPSA.

"Later on, Fitz called us up to say that you'd been gone way too long. May thought he was overreacting, but he called us an hour later to say you still weren't back. We started searching for you, but it wasn't till morning that Fitz suggested that the guy he'd been looking at might have been out and about. Skye traced him, and May went to his apartment. Where she found you."

"So why do you think he was CORPSA?" Jemma asked, a dull ache in the pit of her stomach.

"The note in the safe. _CORPSA resurget."_

"CORPSA will rise again," she whispered.

"You speak Latin?" he asked, seeming disinterested.

She shook her head. "It's their motto." She stopped. "He isn't CORPSA."

"Why do you say that?" Coulson came in.

"Because employees aren't allowed to have anything related to the organisation. They're assigned apartments, and they're searched down before leaving. Every month they send people to search the apartments, to check they don't have contact with anyone else. There aren't any notes, or letters, even texts or emails. The motto is to speak to others in the event of danger, a bit like Heil Hydra..."

"Heil Hydra?" Ward asked.

"You don't know about Hydra? An organisation that was in action during World War II. Agent Carter, head of S.H.I.E.L.D., shut them down."

Coulson agreed. "Captain America?"

Ward gave him a look of obvious disapproval.

"But we did not make contact with each other. Anything that needed to be said would be said face-to-face."

"You're saying you were framed?" Ward's lip curled in disgust.

"I- I don't know what I'm saying! But this man, whoever he is, is not CORPSA."

"Right," Coulson said, exchanging a look with Ward. They both exited, leaving her alone again.

Alone with the terrifying thought that she could have brought this upon herself.

**Oh, she's a bad girl! What are they going to do with her?**

** The response to this fic has been great so far, I'm quite surprised! Sorry about the length of the chapter and the long wait, I don't have much time to write round about now so updates are going to be very irregular.**

** Reviews:**

** Spitfire303- Ummm... (=) a new type of biscuit? I think I will stick to some of my own plotlines with a few of the episodes where they fit in! I'll definitely do FZZT, as quite a few people want that. Thanks for reviewing!**

** beverlie4055- Haha, thank you! You're awesome! Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Yes, a lot of people want that, so I think I'll do a mixture of both...haha, I don't think I'll kill her off just yet! Thank you, I feel much better now already! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Yes, I like cuteness! The general response was that I should do FZZT, and I was already planning to do TRACKS, so we'll have to wait and see. I don't think I'll do all the episodes, because then I'd feel that the fic is not very original, but I will do a few. Thanks for reviewing (and we'll see about Jemma...)!**

** That's all!**

** Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**What's this? An update? Sorry it took so long, everyone...**

Raina's mouth curved into a slow, deliberate smirk.

"Simmons will not be bothering us?" she asked, as though she did not already know the answer.

"We did as you asked. She has been taken into custody. Forgive me," he said, lowering his voice, "But why did we need to get rid of her?"

"She knows more abput Centipede than anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. She's dangerous to us and our work. Particularly when we are at such a vital stage." The words were smooth and polished, as though she had rehearsed them.

"She shouldn't be bothering you any more. The money?"

"It's been transacted into your bank account."

"Right."

"And now we can work on this in peace."

* * *

><p>Fitz sat across the table from her.<p>

"Jemma," he said.

"Fitz."

"So, you're saying that you didn't do this. That CORPSA didn't do this."

"I- I don't know. This man wasn't CORPSA, but I don't have enemies. Someone must have tried to frame us, but who?"

"Centipede?"

"As far as I'm concerned, they don't know I exist."

"But are you sure, Jemma? I mean, you've worked with both of the organisations that are completely against them."

"And nobody in Centipede has ever met me, or had reason to harm me."

"It's all dead ends!" Fitz thumped the table in frustration.

"I don't like this, Fitz. None of it adds up. Unless, of course, there was the possibility that they weren't framing me at all."

"What are you getting at?"

She took a deep breath. "What if they were framing him? It would make sense. If anyone managed to look beneath the surface they would discover that I worked for CORPSA."

Fitz thought for a moment. "I...don't know."

"Fitz?"

"Mmhm?"

"Who was he?"

"Who?"

"Oh, Fitz, you know."

"Oh! Right," he said absently. "I think he was called Michael Branson."

"Oh."

"You know him, don't you?" he asked, but it was more a statement than a question.

"No," she lied hastily.

"Jemma."

"He...works for Centipede."

"As a scientist."

"No," she sighed, "As a general servant. Does everything for them: all the dirty work, all the...the...bringing people in, the framing...CORPSA came across him a few times. He's recently taken to killing everyone he sees who is associated with them."

"Then why not you?"

"I don't know, Fitz," she said tiredly. "I can't just know. I'm not Hermione."

"Hey, Jemma..."

"Yes?"

"When all this is over, do you want to..."

"Want to..." she prompted.

"Have a Harry Potter marathon?"

She paused. "Yes, I'd like that."

They exchanged small smiles.

"So, this Branson fellow. Why didn't he kill you? What did he want with you?"

"Honestly. I don't know."

But, of course, she knew perfectly well why.

Jemma knew a lot of things.

* * *

><p>Skye smirked as she watched Fitz ask Simmons out with neither of them realising this. They were funny together, those two. She seemed to be the only person who saw the connection - that they should get together.<p>

"Skye, mission briefing in two. We've found a Centipede lab, which we think might have a connection to the man who disappeared. Any updates?" Coulson moved over to the laptop, to see Simmons asleep, her head in her arms, resting on the table. "Where's Fitz?"

"Left about five minutes ago. Poor thing. It's hard on both of them."

"I know."

"Coulson...I don't think this is Jemma's fault. I think...she was framed in some way. The dude who owned the apartment, she knew who he was. He works for Centipede, not CORPSA. Does all their dirty work, apparently. She told Fitz that she doesn't know any more, but I think she's hiding something." She stood up.

"What are you saying?"

"I think she's had a run-in with him in the past, and she's scared of what he'll do to her if she talks. She's still scared of everyone in her past...imagine that. I thought I had a bad childhood."

"So did I," Coulson murmured.

"It's like some club for people with really bad pasts and Simmons is president."

"Skye, having a bad past doesn't mean she didn't do it. I'm sorry, I don't want to believe it either, but...her past means that she's probably even more likely to have done it."

"But that's it!" Fitz shouted, coming in. "Jemma's the most determined person I know. You've seen her laugh, and smile, and put everything behind her. Anyone else would have resorted to suicide right now, but not her. She'll keep on going forever, and I know that she's had problems, but beneath all that she's a good person!"

"Whoa, Fitz, calm down." Ward came in. "Heard raised voices, thought the briefing might be in here. What's up?"

"Simmons," May said curtly, joining them.

"Seriously," Ward groans. "Let's just abandon this very important mission and talk about Fitz's social life."

Fitz flushed scarlet. "I'm just saying that I think she's-"

"Innocent, we know."

"No, it makes sense," Skye said bluntly.

"That FitzSimmons should get together?"

"No! Well, yes, but more that-"

At that moment, Fitz interrupted by choking on the pretzel he was eating and managing to turn crimson, from embarrassment or suffocation Skye could not tell. Ward thumped him on the back a little harder than necessary, and Skye continued, smiling a little as if to tell him she'd won.

"That Simmons slept with the creepy guy."

"Because," Coulson grinned, "Her One True Love is Fitz?"

"Precisely," Skye deadpanned, and Fitz, now certainly red with embarrassment, stormed from the lab.

"And now we've got rid of Fitz," Ward said, "Shall we talk about Simmons?"

An hour later, they had drawn up a diagram containing everything they knew about the "Simmons Incident," as Coulson had christened it. Every now and then someone would add an idea, and soon the paper was covered in black, slightly scribbly writing.

"This was messy; it doesn't quite fit. I don't know if we're looking for something that isn't there but...it- it's like a puzzle that doesn't quite make sense. It should all..." she gestured helplessly with her hands.

"Add up to each other. Pieces solving a puzzle, right?"

"Yeah," Skye said gratefully, glancing up at him.

Since when had he been so..._hot?_

* * *

><p>"Ok. This shouldn't be a combat op. We go in, arrest anyone we can, save anyone who we don't arrest, and get out of there before they send in reinforcements. Any questions?"<p>

"Yes." Fitz raised a careful hand. "What about Jemma? We can't lock her up and leave her on the bus alone, with this Branson fellow skulking around."

"I agree," Coulson said. "You're going to stay here anyway, on comms., so...no funny business."

Skye giggled. This had become a slight joke.

"Anything else?"

"Are we sure this is Centipede? Not...like last time? Because I don't fancy those two getting kidnapped on our own 'bus again."

"I'm sure."

"Right."

"Besides, we're prepared now. I've got a gun in the lab and they won't be able to get to her in the cell."

"Ok. We're good. Ready?"

"Ready. Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Where is the money?" he growled.<p>

"The money will be transported to your account when she is transported to prison. Until then, I am not satisfied with your job, Mr. Branson. Coulson is looking beneath the surface. Your work was messy."

"I did as you asked!" he protested, "I got her off your back long enough for you to do what you wanted, and-"

"I wanted her off my back for much longer than that," she cut in briskly. "Which you have failed to do. I'm beginning to question your use."

"What?!"

"Uh, Fitz?" Coulson says. "You can let Simmons out now."

"What? Oh...ok."

The next thing, however, only Coulson was able to hear.

"She knows invaluable things about Centipede from her time at CORPSA. And the girl Skye...she's a risk. There are things that me and her know about Skye. Things that I think Skye would understand better coming from me."

"You want me to cross her off?"

"No. I want you to bring her in."

Coulson shot him in the back with real bullets before he could reply. Other than the seemingly unconscious Chan Ho Yin, who was strapped to some chair mechanism, the room was deserted.

"Hands up," Ward said.

Raina grabbed her briefcase and, after multiple shots fired at her that all, magically, all seemed to miss, made it to the lift.

Ward swore colourfully, and Skye slapped him on the shoulder. "Language," she scolded.

"Come on. There's nobody left here. Let's go. Have you plugged in the USB?"

"Yeah. Should be able to hack the mainframe now."

Just then, Mr. Chan decided to join the conversation by sending a large burst of flame shooting towards them.

* * *

><p>"Let me check those burns," Jemma fussed, hovering around Ward worriedly.<p>

With a sigh he removed his only slightly blackened shirt and Skye found herself staring yet again at his muscular figure. There was a red, blistered patch on his back but it didn't look too bad.

"Only skin-deep," she clarified. "Should be fine, but wear soft, loose clothing and remember to apply this balm." She produced a plastic tub containing a foul smelling paste, which she proceeded to rub into the burn. He let out a hiss, but didn't say anything.

"Simmons? A word?"

She looked up to see Coulson at the door to the lab.

"Certainly, sir."

In his office, he closed the door with a click.

"Is everything all right?" she asked nervously.

"What do you know about Skye?"

"Excuse me?"

"Raina said you knew things about her. What do you know? Her history? Do you know who her parents are?"

"No," she said quickly.

"Dammit, Jemma! You're a terrible liar. I know you're scared, but...this is Skye. She's spent her whole life searching. And I am going to help her find out."

"You...you can't tell her. It's better that she imagines, because..."

"Because what?" he prompted, a little more gently.

"Because it's bad. Worse than everything she's ever imagined, worse than what she knows..."

"Tell me."

Trembling, she shook her head.

"I won't tell her, not if I don't have to."

She sighed, and the ghosts of tears glistened in her eyes.

"Skye...Skye's father..."

"You know who he is?"

She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Skye's father is Ian Quinn."

** DUNDUNDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!**

** 1. Mwahahahaha, I love cliffhangers!**

** 2. I'm so sorry about the lateness and rushed-ness of this chapter. Unfortunately, there might not be another for a while, as I'm very busy with school and sports and other such things.**

** 3. Reviews:**

**beverlie4055- What did you think? I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Brook-Lucas-Fan-23- Thank you! I'm really glad you're liking the story, did you like my wonderful gift to everyone? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Yes, that was my aim! I hope that chapter wasn't too rushed, or anything...and I love how much Jemma admires Agent Carter! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Guest- I'm glad you liked it! Luckily, she didn't betray them again... Thanks for reviewing!**

** 4. My wifi and FanFiction in general is really playing up at the moment, so sorry if I haven't got your review. I will keep checking and you can try and pm me if it doesn't work!**

** 5. I am fully aware of who Skye's real father is, but I didn't like that so much and thought I could tweak it a little, so please review to let me know what you think!**

** 6. Whew, that took a while! Thanks for reading, please review/follow/favourite.**

** Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Back again! *Puffs* Here we go!**

Coulson went quite white and sat down suddenly.

"Ian Quinn? The Ian Quinn, of CORPSA?"

She nods.

"There's something else, isn't there." He said it tiredly, and it wasn't a question; it was merely stating a fact.

"No," she said hastily.

"Just spit it out. You've already delivered the worst bombshell."

She stayed silent, because that was not the worst bombshell and if he took that so badly then she dreaded how he would take everything else.

"Come on." His expression softened.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"I know. But sometimes...the bravest thing you can do is ask for help."

"Not in this case. It's better if...if...I bury it. If nobody knows, not even Skye. And she can't know about her father."

"Why not?"

"I'd like to at least protect her from the truth."

"What do you mean?"

She laughed without smiling. "You don't think Quinn is just after me, do you? No. He wants my help to get to her, and if he crosses me of along the way, well. Added bonus points. And I can hardly protect her from him, can I? But at least for now, she can be happy for a little while longer."

"She'll find out herself someday."

"Yes. But not for now."

"You can't just keep secrets about her like this. She deserves to know!"

"And you're telling me that you don't have secrets? That Ward and May and Skye herself don't have secrets? Nobody deserves to find out something like this. Nobody."

And with that, pale and shaky, she marched out, leaving a similarly pale and shaky Coulson behind her.

* * *

><p>"You look terrible. And it's freezing down here. Come on, get up."<p>

She obliged, not having the willpower to do otherwise. He took her wrist and pulled her up roughly, but not unkindly.

"Thank you, Agent Ward."

"Where's Firz? I though you two were joined at the hip? And what did you say to Coulson? He looks, well...worse than you."

"I told him the truth."

"Wow. Truth can hurt sometimes. You ever tried sugarcoating things?"

"There's no way to sugarcoat what I told Coulson."

He waited, but she didn't expand on that.

"I guess we're all entitled to have secrets," he said, only mildly irritated.

"Yes," she agreed softly.

He turned to face her. "Everything ok?"

"No," she replied. Her knees buckled and he caught her before she fell down.

"You ok? I think you need sleep. When did you last...?"

"I- I'm not sure."

"Seriously? What is it with you and not going to sleep?"

"There are things more important than sleep," she sighed.

"Like what?"

"Like trying to find ways to stay alive."

He stopped, realising that he didn't know much at all about her past. "Your life was in danger? When?"

"My father. I wasn't in direct danger of death, but in some cases I needed to stay awake to keep myself from danger of a coma, or to develop the Supill to keep the pain at bay, or to do my homework, or-"

"You consider homework a matter of life and death?"

"Well, yes. Homework is very important, you know. It can be the difference between a B and an A*-"

"What's an A-star?"

"Oh, sorry," she smiled. "A* is the British version of A+."

"Right," he frowned. "Well, I'm not sure I agree with you on that front, but...I'll take you to your bunk."

"Really? Just some coffee would be fine..."

She trailed off. "I swear that's how you almost killed yourself when we brought you in."

"Um...oh. But later, I need you and the others to test out the Supill. The first time's the strangest."

"Deal. Now go and get sleep and I'll lock you in your bunk so that you don't sneak out."

"Excuse me?"

"Joking."

"I have never heard you joke, Agent Ward."

"Go."

* * *

><p>Fitz wandered into the lab, where he found Coulson looking at various files.<p>

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find something," he said vaguely, but did not build on that.

"Where's Simmons? We need to test the Supill in a bit, so we can equip you all with a couple."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Does she always carry them around with her? All the time? Is she always that worried that people will harm her?"

Fitz's expression was sad and grave and soft all at the same time. "Yes. Always. I think you should probably understand, sir, that Jemma has never truly felt loved, or had a home in which she wasn't in permanent danger."

"Has she told you things about it?"

"In little bursts, yes. I know almost the full story now, but it isn't pleasant."

"Could you write me a report? On Simmons?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"Sir...you realise that there are things here that Jemma wouldn't even want me to know. That I only know because I was there for it."

"There are too many secrets on this plane. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'll classify it."

"Level Eight?"

"Eight?!"

"May, Ward... She wouldn't want them to find out."

"Ok. Deal. Level Eight classified, and you tell me everything."

* * *

><p><span><em>Jemma Simmons<em>

_ Jemma Simmons (25) grew up Greenwich, London. As a child, she was domestically abused and beaten frequently by her mentally unstable father. However, from an early age she demonstrated signs of academic achievement well above the average level for children much older than her._

_ Often injured, Simmons developed at fourteen, with the help of her also very above average friend Leopold Fitz, a drug which she then christened the "Supill" that neutralised the nerve endings all over the body, creating a feeling of numbness and making the user lose all sensation at all. _

_ Later on in her life, at roughly fifteen, Simmons fled from her home, leaving no clues as to where she went other than a suicide note. She spent approximately two months living on the streets, before making her way to Greenwich University where she lied about her age and asked to see the science department._

_ When her scientific ability was discovered, she was offered a place and, some time later, a man named Jasper Leon offered to take her to America. Thinking to the future, she agreed readily, and soon she flew over to the United States._

_ However, when she got there, she was informed of the organisation CORPSA. Discovering that it was a criminal group, of course she refused, but they would not let her back home. They tried to persuade her to join, but after refusing again and again, they resorted to other methods._

_It is unclear which torture methods were used, but Simmons has numerous scars from her time there and has also revealed that many people whom she was close to were killed in an attempt to frighten her into joining._

_ Eventually, she joined CORPSA and worked for them for several years until she was noticed by S.H.I.E.L.D. and taken in._

_ It was found that she was in fact unwilling to work for them, and has now joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as an official consultant._

Fitz read the report over and crossed out the part about himself, before handing it to a nearby Coulson.

"That's it? It's not very...long..."

"Jemma has secrets."

"You're telling me. Don't you know anything else? Where she was born? Who her parents are?"

"Not her mother. And it sounds weird, but...I only met her father once, and that was after she had left. She didn't want him to...you know."

"Any names?"

"Jonathan Simmons, I think."

"Ok. Thanks."

"Fitz," came a sleepy voice from the door, "We need to test the Supill soon."

Coulson discreetly pulled a sheet of paper over the one with her life story on it. "Shall we do that now? Can you find the others?"

She nodded.

* * *

><p>Skye squealed. "This is- oh my...help! Something's gone wrong, I'm sure of it. Help me!"<p>

Simmons laughed lightly. "It was just as bad the first time I tried it. Worse, actually, because I didn't know if it would work."

"How do you do this? I can't feel anything. Seriously, I don't like this..."

"We never made a counter-serum," Fitz smirked. "Didn't want anyone finding out."

Ward took one, and May. Coulson still seemed to be hanging back.

"It can't be that bad," Ward said, and swore as he fell over. May, dignified as always, simply stood there.

"It works," she stated.

"And?"

"It's horrible."

"Coulson, your turn."

"I think I'm ok. I'll use it when necessary, but I don't see any reason to-"

"You should try it now," Jemma interrupted firmly. "Because it's easier the second time when you know what's happening."

"Fine," he replied, taking one reluctantly while Skye squirmed with discomfort.

"How long does this last?"

"About twenty-four hours."

"What?"

She shrugged. "If you're in long-term danger, it's a good thing. I once used them non-stop for a whole week."

"And by the end of it you were tinged blue," Fitz reminded her. "Bad idea."

"Oh!"

"Feel it now, sir?"

"How come you two don't have to do this?"

"We've both used the Supill multiple times," Fitz explained smugly, "We don't need to."

"You can go," Coulson spluttered, staggering towards the stairs. They all followed suit.

"Should we have one, to join them?"

"No," he murmured.

"Why not?"

"Because then you wouldn't be able to feel it if I did this."

And he bent down, slowly, and she felt the ghost of his lips brush against hers.

** Aaw, he kissed her! I'm sorry, I couldn't resist putting that in there.**

** I'll try to update quite soon but it doesn't look very likely...**

** Reviews!**

** beverlie4055- I'm glad you love it! Was that chapter horribly boring? Thanks for reviewing!**

** Anna-Rosinha- Ha, I'm not sure who I hate more. Of course Jemma is innocent, and there will be a big secret revealed (one day) that will explain everything, even though it's really far fetched and I doubt that anyone in a million years will ever guess it because it's ridiculous. But yes. Thanks for reviewing!**

** babycraycray- Hmmm...keep reading and all will (probably) be revealed! I'm sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for reviewing!**

** mol- Oh, I'm really glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!**

** Wow, sixty reviews! Thank you so much to everyone who's left one!**

** Thanks!**


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